After HRCP briefing: Senate body refers abduction case to NCHR

The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights has referred the case of Abdul Wahid Baloch’s abduction to the National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) following a briefing by the HRCP.

The Senate panel had requested the HRCP team to brief it on a fact-finding mission conducted in the case by the HRCP’s Sindh chapter.

Baloch, a social activist, was picked up on the Super Highway in Karachi on July 26.

After a brief discussion, the senators made some recommendations, for instance, the Senate should approach the government to present Wahid Baloch in a court of law and the provincial government should be urged to become a party to the case before the court.

Also, the report of the Senate committee should be pursued and the anti-torture bill passed by the Senate should also be adopted by the National Assembly.

Subsequently, the committee referred the case to NCHR Chairperson Justice (retd) Ali Nawaz Chohan who also attended the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2016.