The Missing Persons Commission has submitted a comprehensive report to the Attorney General for Pakistan, as mandated by court orders. The report reveals that a majority of missing persons cases are concentrated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the findings of the two-member commission led by Justice (r) Javed Iqbal and including former Inspector General Muhammad Sharif Virk, appointed by the Interior Ministry on Supreme Court directives.
The details submitted to the government through the AGP disclosed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported the highest number of cases at 3,485, followed by Balochistan with 2,752 instances of enforced disappearances.
The report attributes the disappearances in KP to factors such as extremism, the wartime situation, and deaths in drone attacks. Additionally, migration to another country due to war-like conditions was cited as a reason for the reported disappearances.
The report highlights that despite issuing 744 production orders for the missing persons, only 52 were executed, and the relevant authorities did not implement 692 production orders.
The police and sensitive institutions filed 182 requests for revision of production orders, with 503 unimplemented orders originating from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
From March 2011 to December 2023, the commission reported that 4,413 missing persons returned home, while 994 were held in various detention centers and 644 were incarcerated in different jails across the country.
During this period, the bodies of 261 missing persons were discovered, and 1,477 cases categorized as non-enforced disappearances were dismissed.
The report notes that resolved cases involved kidnapping for ransom, personal grudges, or willful disappearances. Currently, 260 cases from Punjab, 163 from Sindh, and 1,336 from KP, along with 468 from Balochistan, 55 from Islamabad, and 15 from Azad Jammu and Kashmir are pending before the commission.
In terms of the commission’s expenses, the monthly salaries of its 35 officers and employees exceed Rs1.5 million. Justice (r) Javed Iqbal, the commission chief, receives a monthly salary of Rs674,000, while member Zia Parvez earns Rs829,000. Justice (r) Amanullah’s salary is over Rs1.1 million, and Sharif Virk receives Rs263,000.
The Supreme Court has requested a response from the federal government within 20 days of receiving the Missing Persons Commission’s report.
