Uptick in child abductions unnerves parents

Families demand those involved in kidnappings should be tried under terror laws

LAHORE: The streets have lost their innocent charm. Children no longer frolick around. And parents are reluctant to let their children play out on the street. Such is the fear that has gripped the country following a systematic abduction of hundreds of children, especially in Punjab.

According to data gathered by The Express Tribune, more than 600 children have been kidnapped across the country so far this year, triggering calls from families, rights groups and politicians to try those involved in anti-terrorism courts.

Although schools have reopened after the summer break, attendance remains thin. Most parents say they prefer to drive their children to schools, while those who do not have their own conveyance escort the kids. Some parents wait outside the school after dropping off their children until the bell rings.

Fear is written large on the faces of parents as the electronic media continuously throws spotlight on the alarming trend.

Surprisingly however, police and administration officials appear to be in denial, seeking to downplay the increasing number of child kidnapping cases.

Senior police officials have had several meetings to pore over the matter but have failed to reassure parents or assuage their fears.

The situation is more alarming in Punjab where dozens of child abduction cases have been reported to police in different cities.

Lahore appears to be the worst sufferer where 268 children have been reported missing since the start of 2016. Police, however, claim 189 of these children have returned home on their own. In addition, relatives reported having recovered another 47.

“Currently, we are searching for 32 missing children,” SSP Investigation Hasan Mushtaq told The Express Tribune.

Elsewhere in Punjab, around 89 child abduction cases have been reported to police in Rawalpindi division. Sixty-six children were kidnapped in Rawalpindi district alone, but 55 of them are said to have been recovered.

In Faisalabad, around 38 children have been abducted in just two months. Multan CPO Azhar Akram said around 44 children were kidnapped from the city, but 36 of them have been recovered. In Gujranwala, over 30 children have been reported missing or kidnapped.

In Karachi, the largest city of the country, around 25 children have been reported missing while three have been kidnapped so far this year. The Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), however, said most of the children have returned home while authorities are working on the remaining cases.

Ninety-eight children were missing or feared kidnapped in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. However, most of them have either returned home or recovered by police. Currently, only 18 children are listed missing. Surprisingly, only three cases were reported to police in the province, though police managed to bust a gang of child kidnappers.

Several public figures have expressed their concerns at the rising number of child abduction cases. Some politicians have even called it ‘terrorism’ and have called for strengthening laws related to the offence of kidnapping.

Supreme Court Bar Association President Ali Zafar and Pakistan Bar Council member Azam Nazeer Tarar have urged the government to bring in stringent laws to curb child abductions.

Talking to Express News, they said the existing laws needed to be amended to ensure convicted kidnappers were promptly punished. They also suggested that strict action be taken against police officers for lax investigation into kidnapping cases.

They said help from the army could be sought and necessary laws could be amended for the purpose.

Talking about the role of lawyers, Zafar and Tarar said bar associations and counsels should also pursue kidnappers till they are brought to justice.

Referring to the recent abduction and recovery of the Sindh High Court chief justice’s son, Zafar said every kidnapped child should be recovered in such a manner.

“In Europe, police detain loitering children and send them to childcare centres. But here, there are no laws,” he lamented.

Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court (LHC) has ordered the Punjab government to submit its reply on August 26 on a plea seeking extension in school summer vacations owing to the prevailing security situation.

The petitioner argued that parents across the province were afraid because of the  multiplying cases of abductions and feared that the abductors may be involved in selling organs of children.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 17^th, 2016.