Rights body urges Pakistan government to end enforced disappearances

Islamabad, Sep 1 (IANS) The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has urged the Pakistan government to take measures to end enforced disappearances in the country, calling it a practice that constitutes a crime against humanity under international law.

HRCP has urged Pakistan government to recover all victims of enforced disappearance promptly and safely and present them before courts of law. It urged Pakistan government to introduce legislation against enforced disappearance as a priority, making the practice a criminal offence.

"On this International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, HRCP calls on the state to eliminate this heinous practice, acknowledging that it constitutes a crime against humanity under international law. We demand the following of the federal government: Recover all victims of enforced disappearance promptly and safely and present them before courts of law," the HRCP posted on X recently.

"Those who stand accused of any crimes must be dealt with in accordance with the law and their right to due process and fair trial upheld. Legislate against enforced disappearances as a matter of priority, making the practice a criminal offence. Ratify and implement the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance," it added.

The HRCP urged the federal government to hold accountable all individuals and institutions involved in perpetrating or facilitating enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and the custodial torture of forcibly disappeared persons. The group demanded appointment of a new chairperson to the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances and restructure the commission such that it responds to the families of the victims more effectively.

In the statement, the HRCP demanded enforcing a transparent mechanism for victims and their families to claim and receive reparations for violations of their right to liberty and due process, including women who have lost their household’s primary earners to enforced disappearance.

The HRCP's statement comes as cases of enforced disappearances continue to report in Pakistan, especially Balochistan. In its July 2025 report, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) documented 112 cases of enforced disappearance across the province. Of these, 89 individuals remain missing, 15 were released, and eight were killed extrajudicially in custody. During the same period, the rights body said, 49 people were killed, including 44 men and five women by the Pakistani security forces.

Among the 112 cases, the HRCB noted that 106 were first-time abductions, while six involved individuals had previously been abducted. Among the disappeared were eight minors taken by Pakistani forces; one was killed in custody, one was later released, and five remain missing.

"The majority of abductions, 77 cases, occurred during house raids. Twenty-seven individuals were picked up from the streets, shops, and offices under the pretext of detention. Six were abducted at checkpoints, while two were summoned to military camps and subsequently disappeared,” read the report.

--IANS

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