PESHAWAR:
To mark the International Day of the Disappeared, the Human Rights commission of Pakistan (HRCP) organised a protest on Thursday where activists accused the governments for not following court orders on the recovery of missing persons.
Addressing the rally, HRCP Provincial Coordinator Advocate Malik Jarar said that since 2004 thousands of innocent people across the country had been picked up by intelligence agencies under the pretext of terrorism and militancy.
Activists also claimed that the number of incidents of finding mutilated bodies of disappeared persons has increased in the country. Jarar demanded early recovery of the missing people and said that despite court orders issued by the Supreme Court, the government was not releasing illegally detained persons.
He asked the government to look after the families of the abducted men as many of them live in poverty and do not have the means to search for their relatives. Law enforcement agencies should not violate basic human rights, he said.
The rally started at FC Chowk and protestors marched towards Peshawar Press Club. Participants were holding placards and banners demanding early recovery of missing persons and expressing solidarity with their families. Activists said enforced disappearances pose a serious threat to the sovereignty of the country. They demanded the government to hold security officials accountable
for torturing and killing missing persons.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 31st, 2012.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ