Bagh Azad Kashmir Businessman Disappeared Mysteriously from two weeks. Trade Union President Mr. Hafiz Tariq Mehmood’s call for Protest and Shutter Down in a Press Conference
On January 22, 2018 Mr. Raja Habib Ur Rehman(Businessman from Bagh, Azad Kashmir) went to Rawalpindi and disappeared mysteriously. Since then his family has no information about him. His family registered FIR in local police station but no one knows about him. President Trade Union (انجمن تاجران باغ), Bagh Azad Kashmir Mr. Hafiz Tariq Mehmood held his second press conference on this incident and demanded immediate release from illegal detention of their fellow businessman. He appealed Deputy General ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence), Deputy General MI (Military Intelligence), Chief Minister Punjab and Chief Secretary Punjab for the immediate release of Raja Habib Ur Rehman. He also said that if there are any charges on him, we should be informed and we will fully cooperate with Law Enforcement Agencies but having a person missing from two weeks isn’t acceptable at all. He added that Azad Kashmir region is a sensitive area and Pakistan has suffered a lot internationally on Kashmir Cause. We don’t want to give any negative impression to International Media on Missing Person Incidents in Azad Kashmir. He said that Kashmir nation acts as a solider of Pakistan and protecting Pakistan sovereignty by sacrificing their lives on both sides of the Line of Control (LOC) without being on their payroll. He said that in Jammu & Kashmir (Indian Occupied Kashmir), Kashmir nationals are being martyred by Indian Army and they are being buried by covering their bodies in the flags of Pakistan. If residents of Azad Kashmir will start disappearing, this can greatly damage the Kashmir Cause.
Highlights of Hafiz Tariq Mehmood’s Press Conference on Missing Person in Bagh Azad Kashmir
I am thankful to Respectable President Press Club Bagh Raja Abdul Hafeez, Secretary General Press Club Bagh Mehmood Rather, Ex. President Trade Union Bagh Iftikhar Zaman & Syed Sadiq Hussain Shah, Raja Ejaz, Mansoor Ahmed Banday from Trade Union Bagh, Senior Journalist Molana Ashraf, Raja Abdul Hakeem, Tahir Abbasi, Molana Saif-Ullah Shaukat, Shaukat Taimour and Zahid Gillani to managing this Press Conference. I am also grateful for my business community from Bagh and especially the businessman from Transport Union Bagh that they came here in this Press Conference despite their busy schedule for their businessman brother
I completely agree with thoughts of all Ex. Presidents of Trade Union Bagh and other fellows who expressed their views on this incident. I will also mention few points from my side. I and Mr. Inam Aziz (President Civil Society Union Bagh) held first Press Conference on this incident and we gave 24 hours deadline to release Raja Habib Ur Rehman from his illegal arrest. We were in closed contact with Mr. Molana Ashraf (Journalist) who is the real uncle of Mr. Raja Habib Ur Rehman and we were hoping that within a day or two we would be getting some information about our trader/businessman brother Mr. Raja Habib Ur Rehman who disappeared mysteriously but we never had any information. This is the incident of 22 January, 2018 and today is 4 February, 2018 and till today’s date no one knows from his family as well as we his businessman fellows about Mr. Raja Habib Ur Rehman that who kept him and under which act of crime? I again with the help of this Media I appeal Pakistan Army Chief, DG ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence), Chief Minister Punjab, Chief Secretary Punjab and all stakeholders that Mr. Raja Habib Ur Rehman should be released immediately and if there are any charge on him we all should be informed. His family has a nice background in the society and they are very loyal to the state. His family and we the business community of Bagh should be informed that your brother Mr. Raja Habib Ur Rehman is under investigation due to these charges. We assure that we will fully cooperate with State Secret Agencies and other Law Enforcement Agencies. Also to mention that Azad Kashmir is a sensitive part and residents of this region regardless of their profession either they are businessman, religious leaders, lawyers and journalists or civil society members all are sacrificing their lives and becoming martyred. We don’t want to give impression to the world that whenever people from Azad Kashmir are going to Rawalpindi, Pakistan for their treatment or Sale/Purchase of goods for their business, their lives are under threat. We the nation of Kashmir are sacrificing our lives on daily basis on the both side of the Line of Control (LOC) in Kashmir from last 70 years. In Jammu & Kashmir (Indian Occupied Territory) our Kashmir residents are being killed by Indian Army to raise their voice for Kashmir Cause and being buried in flags of Pakistan. In such scenarios, missing people in Azad Kashmir will not only create hate between the brothers of Pakistan and Kashmir nation but will also impact negatively on Kashmir Issue
I sincerely request again the Responsible of all State Secret Agencies such as Deputy General ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence), Deputy General MI (Military Intelligence) and all other institutions to help us to get out of this trouble. If we the business community and the family of Mr. Raja Habib Ur Rehman will not be informed within one week about our brother that where he is, we will protest again. We will block the whole commercial zone and markets of Bagh Azad Kashmir, will held protest and procession in Haidri Chowk, Bagh Azad Kashmir and will also down our shops shutters for 1 hour. On the same day during our protest and shutter down, we will announce the further strategy about our future protests. We will launch this protest campaign in all district of Azad Kashmir for our missing businessman. You will see that from Mirpur Azad Kashmir to Neelum Valley Azad Kashmir all district trade unions will record a wide range of protests and rally’s. We understand that internationally Pakistan is facing a lot of challenges regarding Kashmir Issue and our voice should support Pakistan. We don’t want to record wide range of protests and rallies against any specific group, any specific organization or any specific govt. institution because if we will do, International Media will present this to the world impacting Kashmir Cause negatively. We don’t want to create any such environment in Azad Kashmir. So we request the immediate release of our businessman Raja Habib Ur Rehman from his illegal detention
Once again, I am thankful to all my trader’s community who came here and joins us in this important Press Conference. I am also thankful to journalists, Senior Members of Trade Union, Current Trade Union members and civil society members who ensure their presence here and supported us for this Press Conference. I am hoping that we will get information about our Brother Mr. Raja Habib Ur Rehman who disappeared last month. And if we will not get any information about him, we will call for protest and shutter down. On the same day we will announce our further strategy and we will also include Transport Union of Azad Kashmir in this campaign to have greater impact
I also support the voice of Iftikhar Zaman and Sadiq Shah that if we the people of Bagh Azad Kashmir will become together at one place and do not make divisions, no govt. institution can harass the civil society or the business community of Bagh Azad Kashmir. I’ve been the representative of Trade Union Bagh for three years and I never thought about the safety of my life whenever time came to address the basic human rights of our people. I can provide multiple examples of such incidents where I stood first to protect the rights. I am really thankful to Ex. Presidents of Press Club who are sitting with me here. In last three years, whenever we’ve called them for a collective cause, they join their hands with us and always ensure their presence in every events. I hope that Insha Allah, they will also cooperate with us in future as well. God may shower his blessing on all of us
