Cabinet body demands verifiable report on missing persons

ISLAMABAD: The Cabinet Committee on Enforced Disappearances has directed the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances to submit a comprehensive report with verifiable facts and figures on missing persons. The first meeting of the committee, chaired by Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, was held on Wednesday. The committee, constituted by the Federal Cabinet, includes the ministers for law and defence, the attorney general, and the secretaries of the Interior and Law Division. Its mandate is to review initiatives addressing enforced disappearances and evaluate the performance of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances. During the meeting, updates were sought on the data of cases currently under review by the commission. Discrepancies were noted between the data presented by the commission and figures reported by human rights organisations and civil society groups. The committee was informed that many cases reviewed by the commission were found to be baseless, with some involving individuals who had been declared proclaimed offenders and had fled the country to evade legal proceedings. As per the cabinet’s directive, a financial support package of up to five million rupees will be provided to the families of individuals missing for over five years, contingent upon verification of legal heirs by NADRA. The committee also stressed the importance of the incoming chairperson of the commission launching a public awareness campaign about the complaint mechanism and expediting the processing of financial support packages for affected families.