Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior Monday told that some 3,692 persons were still missing from different parts of the country and the departments concerned were being held responsible for their recovery.

The meeting, which held here at the Parliament House with Senator A Rehman Malik in the chair, was told that the matter of missing persons had become a complex issue.

Abbottabad Commission Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal told the committee members that the matter relating to missing persons did not exist in Pakistan only, as several countries of the world were facing such kinds of problems too. However, he said had the recommendations of the committee that was made under the supervision of Justice Kamal Mansoor been implemented, the situation would had been different. “At that time the total number of missing persons was 136, which swelled to 3,692.”

He said that a delegation from United Nation Working Group visited Pakistan and they compiled a comprehensive report regarding missing persons but their recommendations were also not executed.

Justice (r) Javed Iqbal said that different courts had sent some 350 cases of missing persons to the commission. During its tenure, he said, the committee had disposed of 2,416 cases, whereas 1,276 cases are still pending.

He said dozens of FIRs had been registered on the instructions of the commission, but police were reluctant to register cases on the whole. “Only the federal capital police extended full cooperation,” he said, adding that the worst situation about registering the cases was seen in Sindh, where some 200 cases are pending so far.

“The situation in Punjab also needs attention where cases of some 223 missing persons are still to be decided. The condition in Southern Punjab is extremely alarming, which is getting deteriorating with each passing day. “

Giving details about the number of missing persons, he said,” There are some 654 cases of missing persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, whereas Balochistan has only 96 cases. An NGO working in Balochistan had told the commission that some 3,500 persons were missing in the entire province, but they could not provide a list to the commission.”

He said that the number of missing person in FATA is 53, AJK has 11 missing persons and in Gilgit-Baltistan only four persons were found missing.

He said that a room at the Aiwan-Iqbal Lahore was given to the commission to establish its office, but it was without bathroom facility. He said even a once the Punjab government said that they would pay the rent of the room.

Briefing the committee, he said some 55,000 civilians as well as 5,174 personnel of armed forces were affected by terrorism during the last five years.