Balochistan

Balochistan’s misery: Cases of missing persons’ still unresolved

Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances did not visit any city in the province apart from Quetta.

Zahid Gishkori April 11, 2011

ISLAMABAD:

The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CIED) claims that it has not been able to make any substantial progress in tracing the whereabouts of missing persons in Balochistan, despite the fact that the commission did not visit any city in the province besides Quetta.

The CIED on Saturday concluded its week-long proceedings into the cases of people who have disappeared in Quetta – allegedly taken into custody by law-enforcement or intelligence agencies. It is unclear why the commission did not venture beyond the provincial capital to address the issue.

Retired Justice Fazlur-Rehman is heading the commission which was constituted by the ministry of interior in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions last month. The former head of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa police, Muhammad Sharif Virk, is also a member of the commission.

During the course of proceedings, the commission traced 11 out of 63 missing persons in Balochistan, according to CIED Secretary Fareed Khan.

The commission dropped three cases due to a lack of evidence against those accused by the relatives of the people who had gone missing.

“The dilemma of allegedly disappeared persons is chronic and complicated in Balochistan,” he said.

The commission continued to hear the cases with the coordination of Balochistan Chief Secretary Ahmad Bakhsh Lehri and then Police Inspector General Malik Iqbal.

It had recoded the statements of families of disappeared persons in Balochistan and compiled its weekly report which will be submitted to the apex court by end of this week.

As many as 25 out of 203 missing persons have been traced in 2011 so far, according to a list prepared by the interior ministry. Around 92 new cases were registered and three cases were deleted from the list due to other reasons, it added. The list further stated that 55 cases of missing persons were registered in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa, 47 in Balochistan, 15 in Punjab, 13 in Sindh, three in the AJK, two in Islamabad and three in Fata.

The commission will take up 17 cases of missing persons of Sindh in Karachi from Monday (today), Fareed Khan told The Express Tribune. On Tuesday, it will leave for Lahore to conduct hearing into the cases of missing persons in Punjab.

The commission will go back to Islamabad on April 17 and will submit its report to the Supreme Court after concluding its hearings into the cases in May this year.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (7)

avanti | 13 years ago | Reply @Faisal: Yeah. May be, that is where they hide - could be safer given the torture on the other side.

Faisal | 13 years ago | Reply What is this nonsense, why aren't we talking about Kashmir, the only issue of Human rights abuse and occupation in the whole world?

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Nasrat Baloch | 13 years ago | Reply @Amjad Khan dear brother why this, as u claim that Punjabis are being killed, is happening? what are the reasons behind it. Have u, and others in urban cities of Punjab, ever considered about it ? Every action has a reaction so think about it. what is the main cause of this hatred, seek the reason and then discuss it. Balochistan was a relatively very quiet and peacefull province before the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti. Now thousands young school goer Balochs are taken away and then their tortured bodies are thrown. Check who is behind this and then ask them why you people doing this extra judicial to our Baloch brothers. Every where in the world there are miscreants and anti states but there are civilized ways within those country to handle this kind of situation.My brother you can only see one side of the picture(which is also exaggerated)

Sameer Baloch | 13 years ago | Reply Much ado about nothing! The recourse opted by the Apex Court by dint of asking a commission to assert for missing persons is a pragmatic and just way out. However, the commission should pay attention to the proposition of self-adopted-disappearance (SAD). Not all, there might be fewer who fled their homes to avoid unjustified arrest by the LEAs or forced invitation to join by the mischief mongers. Over and above all those who lost in vain must be brought to justice. The result of this drive may bring an end to further disapearences of our youth. Sameer Baloch Zaamurani

Allah Baksh baloch | 13 years ago | Reply There is a need to categories the missing persons into following:. 1. Political Abduction. 2. Abduction for ransom. 3. Going under ground for fear of arrest. 4. Political Mileage 5.Tribal animosity and family feud. 6. Jihad in neighboring countries. A district committee should be formed which should verify the credentials through the Data base of NADRA and ascertain the circumstances of kidnapping. Recommendations of the district committee should be sent to tribunal with the relevant records. Tribunal should give its verdict.

IamConcerned! | 13 years ago | Reply There should be more "question marks" than stick figures in the picture above. Sorry state in Balochistan.

amjad khan | 13 years ago | Reply what about the ethnic cleansing of punajbis in balochistan by militants? why no anchor does a talk show on this genocide?? why no NGO's protest against the brutal,deliberate murders of punjabis in balochistan? hundreds of punjabis have been killed only because of their ethnicity. When will the media give coverage to this issue?? why all the hue & cry for the missing persons but nothing for the genocide of punjabis in balochistan by terrorist organisations?

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