Srinagar, Nov 10:  On 10th of every month with venue at Pratap Park here, kin of disappeared persons assemble and remind all that they have their loved ones gone missing from their life.
 Naseema Akhter, a resident of Fateh Kadal and a half widow has not lost the hope of her husband’s return.
  “He (Syed Anwar Shah) left for work as usual in 2002 and never came back. Our family never had any links with militants. We searched him from pillar to post, in every jail but we couldn’t find him,” Naseema told Greater Kashmir.
 Scores of people, akin to the persons who have disappeared during the conflict assembled under the banner of Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) here at Pratap Park demanding their kith and kin back. APDP under Parveena Ahanger has been holding sit-ins on 10th of every month.
 Like Naseema, many people from near and far come to sit-in that APDP organizes with only one hope-to get their loved ones back.
 Raaje Bano despite facing an acute heart problem came all the way from Kandi Baramulla. According to Raaje, her son Abdul Majeed Ganaie was taken from home by some uniformed persons ten years back and after that he never returned.
 “In the same year, both of my sons were snatched from me. First my younger son was killed and after few months his elder brother Majeed was taken from his home by some uniformed men,” said Raaje.
 Another mother, Khazra Begum of Rainawari, whose son Muhammad Hussain Ashraf according to her was taken by army nine years ago, Hussain was nineteen that time. Khazra believes her son is still alive.
 “He was coming back home after offering prayer at Hazratbal, during his way back army men called him, he got frightened and ran away, they caught hold of him and beat him to pulp. Then we approached both state police and army but none of them was eager to help us,” said Khazra. She added that Hussain’s forced disappearance has taken a heavy toll on their family. “After his disappearance, my son and daughter got into depression and I am also a heart patient,” Khazra said.
 Chairman APDP Parveena Ahanger reiterated that APDP will keep on organizing these kind programs till justice is done. “The mass graves are not of the persons who were taken from the homes (disappeared persons) but of the persons who lost their lives during at LOC during 90’s. APDP will work to bring back our loved ones, either alive or dead. We want culprits to be prosecuted,” Parveena added that they will very soon start the survey of District (Islamabad) Anantnag to record the number of persons disappeared in the district. 

Lastupdate on : Sat, 10 Nov 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 10 Nov 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 11 Nov 2012 00:00:00 IST