Govt told to devise mechanism for identification of unclaimed bodies

SHC gives authorities two weeks to devise mechanism, submit report on issue

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed on Thursday the provincial government to develop a mechanism for the identification and DNA testing of unclaimed bodies, as the number of unidentified bodies at the city's Mawach Goth graveyard has soared to 84,000 since 1986.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, passed this direction while hearing a missing persons' case.

The judges further directed the government authorities to devise such a mechanism in two weeks and submit a detailed report in the court by the next date of the hearing.

The judges were hearing a petition filed by Uzma Shahzadi, who went to the court alleging that her two sons - Maaz Ahmed and Talha Ahmed - were allegedly picked up by law enforcers on April 6, 2014, in Korangi area. The whereabouts of both the men are still unknown, she said in the plea.



On the last hearing, the police officials had disclosed in the court that around 84,000 unclaimed bodies have been buried in Mawach Goth graveyard since 1986. The graveyard is maintained by the Edhi Foundation.

According to police officials, the figure is based solely on the records of the graveyard while there were other organisations that are also performing the same job.

The court had observed that a number of persons who lost their lives in incidents such as bomb blasts were still unidentified. It had further observed that the possibility could not be ruled out that some of the missing persons would have died in mishaps such as bomb blasts.

On the last hearing, the provincial government's focal person had informed the court that the process of developing a mechanism to identify such persons was being prepared. He said a DNA database will be established to ascertain the identities of such persons.

During Thursday's proceedings, the judges inquired from the provincial law officer about the proposed mechanism but the officer requested for more time to enable the authorities to develop the mechanism.



Allowing time, the bench directed the government to devise such a mechanism within two weeks and submit a detailed report by the next date of the hearing.