PESHAWAR: A total of 3,938 out of 6,156 missing persons have been traced, claimed the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances. The head of the commission justice (retired) Javed Iqbal, who is also National Accountability Bureau (NAB), said that 3,938 petitions have been disposed of till the month of June.
The statement issued by the commission has said that a total of 702 hearings were conducted in the country, adding that 194 hearings were conducted in the federal capital, 86 hearings held in Lahore, 210 in Karachi, 126 in Quetta and 86 hearings were conducted in Peshawar city. However, the statement has not provided further details about the nature of their crimes and where they have been kept.
Justice Javed Iqbal is heading the commission as its honorary chief without receiving any salary or other privileges, claimed the commission. It was further added that families of missings have appreciated the efforts of Justice Javed Iqbal for the recovery of their missing relatives and disposing of their cases.
The federal government has appointed Justice (retd) Iqbal as chairman of the judicial commission mandated to trace missing persons in 2011 immediately after his retirement from as judge of the Supreme Court.
The tracing of missing persons is one of the main demands of the Pakhtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), who has asked the government to retrieve missing persons and if they have committed any crime, their trial should be held in the court of law. After which the commission speed up its efforts for their recovery.
Amnia Janjua, chairperson of the Defence of Human Rights in Pakistan, last week met with the spokesperson of Pak army at GHQ where she was informed that a special assistance cell at GHQ has been set to assist families of missing persons. It was added that the cell has been given special direction to assist in the recovery process of missing persons.
