Pakistan Govt told to dispel notions about forces behind enforced disappearance

Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday said it is the government's constitutional obligation to dispel the impression that state institutions are behind enforced disappearances, as the armed forces are subordinate to the federal government under Article 245 of the Constitution.

Haring a missing persons case on Wednesday, Chief Justice Athar Minallah asked the interior secretary whether the previous and present presidents and governors sought annual reports on the matter, reports DAWN.

He said the government should dispel this impression that enforced disappearances were a state policy, as a former chief executive stated in his book "In the Line of Fire."

The hearing was then adjourned till 17 June .

Only 3,284 of 8,463 missing pakistani citizens were recovered since March 2011, according to a report submitted to the Court by the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances.

Besides, it said, 228 people were "reported to be dead in encounters, etc.," and the police lodged an FIR on behalf of the state.

Some 946 people were "reported to be confined in internment centres under Action (in Aid of Civil Powers) Regulations, 2011.

The report noted that 584 people had been confined in jails as under-trial prisoners on criminal and terrorism charges.

It noted that 1,178 cases had been found as "not of enforced disappearances" after a thorough investigation.

The reason is that "missing persons have either gone on their own" or these cases are related to "kidnapping for ransom or personal enmity."