Sukkur: The Priya Action Committee has announced that it will continue its peaceful campaign until all missing children are recovered, alleging that the government has failed to fulfil commitments made following the end of the 27-day Babarlo Bypass sit-in.
Speaking at an emergency press conference at the Sukkur Press Club, committee leader Sohni Paras, Convener Liaquat Jalbani, and other members said their movement would remain peaceful and focused solely on securing the return of missing children to their families.
Sohni Paras alleged that after the Babarlo Bypass protest ended, the government and district administration did not honour assurances to take practical steps for the recovery of missing children. She further claimed that participants in the protest were later booked under serious charges, including terrorism-related offences.
According to the committee, government representatives had promised during the sit-in that efforts would be made to recover the missing children and that detained protesters would be released if the demonstration ended. However, Sohni Paras claimed that those released were required to agree not to organise future sit-ins or block roads and to limit themselves to conventional forms of protest.
The committee also questioned official claims regarding the recovery of three girls, including Asifa Mughal, whom authorities said had been found in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Sohni Paras said officials informed the family that Asifa had married and wished to remain with her husband, and that her father had been allowed to meet her. However, she argued that legal procedures were not followed because the girl was not produced before the relevant court in Sindh, where the original case had been registered.
The committee further raised concerns over the reported recovery of two sisters allegedly abducted from Karachi’s Sachal area. It claimed that the girls had neither been handed over to their mother nor had the nominated suspects been arrested. According to the speakers, families were being shown videos instead of being provided with legal and judicial confirmation of the recoveries.
Sohni Paras alleged that while the law appeared ineffective against influential individuals in missing children cases, peaceful demonstrators were facing terrorism charges. She maintained that if the children had indeed been recovered, they should be produced before the courts to complete the legal process.
The committee also criticised local political leaders and elected representatives, saying they had failed to support families who spent days protesting in extreme heat. The speakers argued that public representatives should have stood with the affected families but instead remained silent.
Describing the disappearances as a serious humanitarian issue, the committee said the possibility of child trafficking or illegal organ trade should not be overlooked and called for impartial investigations into all such cases. It demanded that those responsible be identified and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
Sohni Paras reiterated that the Priya Action Committee was not campaigning against any political party or state institution, but was solely seeking the recovery of missing children. She said the movement had remained peaceful throughout and would continue in the same manner.
The committee also alleged that police used force during the Babarlo Bypass sit-in, detained protesters, subjected them to mental distress and registered terrorism cases against them despite what it described as a peaceful demonstration.
Announcing its next step, the committee said it would hold a protest outside the Chief Minister’s House in Karachi next Sunday at 5:00 p.m. The demonstration, it said, would be attended by parents of missing children from across Sindh, along with social activists, lawyers, labour organisations, political and religious groups and human rights advocates.
The committee called on both the Sindh and federal governments to prioritise the recovery of missing children, conduct transparent investigations into all registered cases, arrest those responsible and withdraw terrorism and other criminal cases filed against peaceful protesters.
Concluding the press conference, Sohni Paras said the committee had no political agenda and that its only objective was to reunite missing children with their families.
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