ISLAMABAD, Dec 16 (APP): Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has informed the National Assembly that the Supreme Court, high courts, and Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances were hearing 1,428 cases of missing persons.
Responding to a question of Dr Karim Ahmed Khawaja during question hour of the ongoing session, he said the Federal Government had constituted Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, headed by a former Supreme Court judge, to take up the cases of missing persons. The Commission is maintaining data of missing persons and their cases are under process in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Lahore High Court, Sindh High Court, Peshawar High Court and Balochistan High Court.
The House was told that as on November 27, 2013, cases of missing persons in the Commission of Inquiry of Enforced Disappearances were 813. As many as 304 cases were being heard by the Supreme Court, 14 by the Lahore High Court, 174 by the Sindh High Court, 101 by the Peshawar High Court, and 22 by the Balochistan High Court. The total number of cases were 1,082.
The House was also informed that 346 of the cases being heard by the Commission on Enforced Disappearances, were also under process in courts.
A three-member SC bench headed by former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on December 10 announced a verdict in the case of 35 missing persons case, directing the Federation to legislate about the disappearances. The Interior Ministry has asked the provincial governments, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and Islamabad Capital Territory adminstartion to provide the number of mutilated bodies recovered in the country since 2001. A nil report has been received from the Inspector General of Police, Gilgit Baltistan while reports from the remaining are awaited, the House was told.]]>
