Lahore blast: HRCP demands release of 'forcibly disappeared' Pashtun workers

We demand all four be located, their right to physical integrity and dignity of person guaranteed, says rights group

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Wednesday expressed its concerns over the alleged forced disappearance of four Pashtun workers following the Anarkali Bazar explosion in Lahore on January 20.

Three people, including a nine-year-old child, were killed while over two dozen others were injured when a blast tore through a bustling market chowk near Lohari Gate, a prominent entrance of the historic walled city, last month.

According to the Lahore police, an initial investigation showed that a 1.5 kilogramme improvised explosive device (IED) was planted in a motorcycle parked next to a pushcart outside a bank, which was the cause of the blast.

Read more: 3 killed as blast rips through Lahore’s bustling market

"According to HRCP’s sources, two persons were disappeared from near Lahore Railway Station on January 22 — it has taken almost ten days for their families or friends to file an FIR against the incident," HRCP Chairperson Hina Jilani said in a statement.

She said that another Pashtun worker was disappeared after persons in civilian clothes allegedly raided his flat in the early hours of January 26, adding that yet another worker was forced to exit the rickshaw he was travelling in and taken away, again allegedly by persons in civilian clothing.

"No arrest warrants were issued and their friends and relatives have been unable to establish their whereabouts. In the latter two cases, the police have refused to issue an FIR," the statement added.

The commission expressed its concern over the "worrying familiar pattern", saying that four Baloch students were also detained in a similar manner on January 22 in connection with the blast but later released.

"We demand that all four be located and their right to physical integrity and dignity of person guaranteed. If they — or indeed anyone — are to be detained at all, then law enforcement personnel are duty-bound to follow procedure and clearly indicate on what charge they have been detained and where they are being held," Hina further said.