ISLAMABAD:
In seemingly the first serious move to address the problem fuelling insurgency in Balochistan, the country’s top political and military leaders have decided to meet today to decide how to resolve the contentious issue of enforced disappearances.
To be presided over by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, the meeting to discuss the missing persons’ issue will be attended by Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and other heads of federal and provincial law enforcing agencies. The enforced disappearances are primarily blamed on the country’s secret intelligence agencies including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) with the issue tarnishing the country’s human rights credentials since 9/11.
Premier Gilani told Geo News on Monday that his government was concerned about the rising number of missing persons and had called a meeting to find out how the issue could be resolved once and for all.
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Committee on the National Security (PCNS) began on Monday the process of preparing recommendations for the government to address this issue and called for legislative and administrative measures to rein in secret outfits.
During its last meeting, the 13-member bipartisan, bicameral panel decided to propose landslide amendments in laws governing the country’s anti-terror regime in a bid to address human rights violations.
The committee, headed by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani, sought a briefing from the interior ministry on the proposed amendments to the Anti-Terror Act of 1997 — seeking more powers for the military and intelligence agencies battling hardcore militants in the country’s tribal belt.
The committee had already expressed concerns over giving intelligence agencies a ‘free hand’ to deal with suspected terrorists, fearing more powers would exacerbate the issue.
Pakistani military and intelligence services are often blamed for extra judicial killings, torture and enforced disappearances — some of these problems fuelling a nationalist insurgency in Balochistan.
Senator Rabbani said these issues were undermining the government’s political and administrative initiatives to win back the loyalties of Baloch separatists for Pakistan.
The head of the committee said the panel would have a briefing on anti-terror laws later this week to start the process of reviewing them. The committee has decided to forward the government two separate sets of recommendations, legislative and administrative, to sort out one of most complicated human rights issues facing the country.
A participant of the meeting told The Express Tribune that the panel has decided to toughen laws not only to bring intelligence agencies under civilian control but to also ensure that the detained terrorists do not escape because of weak prosecution or lack of evidence.
On the administrative side, he said, the committee would recommend how provincial governments should take certain measures to address the widespread anti-state dissent in Balochistan and Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa.
The decision to amend laws to control intelligence and law enforcing agencies came days after the Supreme Court observed that the Frontier Constabulary (FC) was behind almost 90% of the enforced disappearances in Balochistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 29th, 2012.
COMMENTS (15)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1713521455-0/Untitled-design-(9)1713521455-0-270x192.webp)
For the first time in history of Pakistan we got a military leadership that shook hand with the ruling prime minister and president of Pakistan.
Our bad luck that this ruling regime was the most corrupt and military leadership refrained to strengthen the justice system for some secret reasons which ISPR canno comment.
I don't get what's to "discuss" in this. Release them and bring them to court.
Pakistan military and civil leadership can go to any extent to serve their western masters. Missing persons is yet another example in this.
Only due to the efforts of our Valiant CJ and other judges. hats off to them.
"the rising number of missing persons and had called a meeting to find out how the issue could be resolved once and for all." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ What issues have been resolved in Pakistan "once for all?" The only one that comes to mind is the loadshedding one!
Yesterday seven bullet riddled bodies were found, even footage's these missing persons have been produced before the court but having solid proofs no justice for them because they are from Balochistan and their is no rule of law and no human rights for them what so ever govt and agencies do they are free and no one dears to ask them.
Better act now, although it took you 4 years to speak up.
Some one please look into the karachi issue also which claimed more than 600 lives in the first 5 months of this year (as published by Daily Express).It is a much bigger issue than balochistan if some one thinks.
as a student of political science and history - i am at total loss to understand why pakistan spending billions on keeping huge armed forces - the money should have been spent on health, eduction, drinking water, diseases - this has become a mandatory at the recognization of 'india' as most favoured state....tell me how far this is wrong......
Please, for this time at least, do things correctly for our Baloch brothers
Finally the sleeping castle is waking up ... Sit down and speak up ,, speak the truth .. not for your sake .. but for the sake of your motherland ....
The most powerful man in Pakistan has an impressive paunch. Nice photo.
Great initiative!
This will only get worse. Two bodies of 'missing perons' that Supreme court was looking for as per the petition of the mother of the 'missing', who were kidnapped by authorities in April, as per news reports, were dumped in Baluchistan yesterday. The impunity is breathtakingly brazen.