Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Monday briefed the Senate about the disappearance of activist Raza Mahmood Khan, missing since December 2.

Iqbal said that the government was making efforts for Raza’s recovery, but so far there had been no leads in the case.

The minister said he was concerned at the recent incidents of violence and abduction of journalists. “We have asked security agencies to remain vigilant on these matters,” he said.

Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani asked Ahsan Iqbal whether he had no knowledge about Raza’s disappearance.

“It is surprising that those who have abducted Raza Khan have vanished,” he said, adding that no information had emerged about the killer and rapist of six-year-old Zainab Amin so far.

“If the state cannot find the culprits, then who will?” Rabbani asked. He asked the interior minister to submit a report about Raza’s ‘abduction’ by January 26.

Taking part in the discussion, PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar said that those who presented a narrative that differed from that of security agencies tended to “go missing”.

He said the missing activist was known for advocating peace in the region particularly peaceful co-existence with India. “This is against the state narrative of peace and security in the region,” Babar said.

The senator said the five bloggers, who had gone missing last year and were later released, were “too scared to talk about their ordeal and have sought refuge in foreign lands”.

“The bloggers too were known for their posts that went against the official narrative of what constitutes national security,” Babar said.

He proposed that the recovered persons should be encouraged to speak about their ordeal with the human rights committee of the Senate in an in-camera session. The committee should then prepare a confidential report on the basis of their testimony which may then be taken up with the state agencies.

He also proposed disbanding the present commission on enforced disappearances and replacing it with one that included investigation experts. “The commission has not been able to find out from the recovered persons as to who were their tormentors and it is time that it was disbanded,” Babar said.

Raza, a convener of Aghaz-i-Dosti, a friendship initiative between the youth of India and Pakistan, was picked up from his residence in Lahore’s Model Colony last month. The area falls under the ambit of the Naseerabad police station.

Published in Daily Times, January 23^rd 2018.