Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Aug 30: On International Day of Disappeared, Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) today held a sit-in and demanded whereabouts of their loved ones. The Day of Disappeared persons is observed globally every year on August 30 to draw attentions towards the persons whose fate are unknown to their families.
The APDP, which is led by Parveena Ahangar, held the sit-in at Pratap Park in Lal Chowk that saw a participation of parents and families of disappeared persons, students, rights’ activists, civil society members, artists and common people. The separatist leaders from Hurriyat and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) also attended the sit-in. The JKLF chief Yasin Malik also participated.
The APDP claims that nearly 8,000 people in Kashmir have been subjected to involuntary disappearance allegedly in custody by security forces since the militancy began. On its part, the Government claims that most of the disappeared persons have either joined militants and died or crossed over to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The parents and families of the disappeared persons reiterated their demand of “independent probe” by an “impartial” world body into all the cases of disappearances in the region. On the occasion, the members of APDP were holding banners, posters and placards inscribed with slogans against the involuntary disappearances. They were also holding pictures of their disappeared ones.
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