AP PHOTOS: Portraits from a long march in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD (AP) — They carried photographs of their loved ones and signs protesting their disappearance across Pakistan, a march of nearly 3,000 kilometers (1,900 miles) to demonstrate against security forces they alleged are responsible.
A group of some 100 Baluch activists arrived Friday in Islamabad. Some were children with relatives. Others wore hijabs, their eyes visible just above the pictures of their missing loved ones.
The disappearances in Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province began swelling in the mid-2000s, when Gen. Pervez Musharraf's government cracked down on insurgents there. Activists say thousands are missing after the crackdown.
The protesters said they want the government to find their missing relatives — or hold the security forces responsible for their disappearances. The government has started two committees to investigate, but they've done little so far.
Here is a selection of portraits of the protesters shot by Associated Press photographer Muhammed Muheisen.
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Follow Muhammed Muheisen on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Muheisen81.
