Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances has issued its progress report for the month November, 2021. According to the report, the Commission received 8279 cases of alleged enforced disappearance from March 2011 to 30 November, 2021 from all over Pakistan. Out of these cases, the Commission has disposed of 6047 cases including 123 cases during November 2021. During November 2021, Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal Hon’ble Chairman of the Commission presided over hearings at Lahore resulting in disposal of 07 cases pertaining to the Punjab. Hearings at Head Office Islamabad and Sub Office Karachi continued as usual. In addition to the regular comprehensive list of cases of Missing Persons, the Commission, some time back received a list of Missing Persons pertaining to the Province of Balochistan from Senator Dr. Jehanzeb Jamaldini.
After thorough scrutiny, it was found that the majority of cases lack the information/particulars of the Missing Persons, which are essentially required to trace the whereabouts of a missing person. However, the Commission initiated calling reports from the stakeholders concerned in respect of the cases in which name/parentage, date of missing tehsil/area and district were indicated in the list. In this connection Deputy Commissioners District Kech, Awaran and Panjgur responded and presented verification certificates to the Commission confirming return of certain Missing Persons to their homes. In this way, 748 Missing Persons have been reported as returned to home.
The cases of the Missing Persons pertaining to other districts of Balochistan have also been taken up by the Commission with the Home Department Balochistan and other quarters concerned. However, after initial notices, it was observed that presence of a Member of the Commission with Regional Office at Quetta is necessarily required to expedite tracing the whereabouts of the remaining Missing Persons.
