12 missing persons have returned, body told

QUETTA:

The missing persons recovery commission on Saturday completed its 10-day hearing in Quetta during which it was confirmed that 12 people had been recovered.

The commission, set up on the direction of the federal government, also dismissed the cases of two missing persons. However, two missing people had been traced.

According to the Balochistan Home Department, the commission, headed by former high court judge Justice (retd) Fazal-ur Rehman, heard the cases of 11 missing persons on Saturday.

The commission heard the cases of 117 missing persons during the 10 days.

During this period, the recovery of 12 missing persons was confirmed. Two missing people were traced while two cases were dismissed.

In March this year, Prime Minister Imran Khan had met a three-member delegation representing the Baloch missing persons’ families, who staged a sit-in in Islamabad in February.

The protesters calling for an end to enforced disappearances in Balochistan ended a week-long sit-in in the capital after being assured that PM Imran would meet them next month.

Read Pakistan’s enforced disappearance bill against international law: Amnesty Int’l

Sharing details of the meeting on Twitter, Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari wrote that PM Imran has tasked the principal secretary to quickly ascertain the exact status of the missing family members and committed to updating them on the progress.

Mazari said that the premier reiterated to fast-track the legislation to criminalise enforced disappearance along with whatever other laws need to be amended.

She also said that the prime minister also asked to be kept informed about the progress on finding the whereabouts of the missing persons.

Mazari had also met with the relatives of the missing persons during their protest and assured them that the government would resolve their problems.

The minister had said that the prime minister had requested the names of the people that were missing. "The families should trust the prime minister," she added.

Talking to APP, Voice of Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) Chairman Nasrullah Baloch said a list of 266 missing persons was handed over to Mazari so their status could be ascertained and conveyed to the prime minister.

Baloch hoped that the premier and Mazari would fulfil their demands and said in case of failure, another protest in the capital would be staged till the recovery of missing persons.

On February 18, it was reported that the prime minister had directed authorities to expedite the process of bringing effective legislation in the parliament to stop enforced disappearances as the families of the missing persons pray and search for their loved ones endlessly in the absence of a proper mechanism.

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