Tag: missing persons

  • 21,000 children missing in Gaza since October 7

    21,000 children missing in Gaza since October 7

    As much as 21,000 children in Gaza are said to have gone missing since October 7, reports Save the Children, a leading humanitarian organisation for children.

    Israel launched fierce military operations against Palestinians following October 7 attacks which have killed at least 37,598 people and injured 86,032 in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera.

    More than 15,000 children have been killed by Israel in the genocide.

    Additionally, at least 3,000 children are reportedly amputated – the largest population of child amputees in the world.

  • Caretaker PM Kakar once again fails to appear in missing Baloch Students’ case

    Caretaker PM Kakar once again fails to appear in missing Baloch Students’ case

    Islamabad High Court (IHC) summoned Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar for the third time on Monday in the case of the missing Baloch students. The court’s orders came before adjourning today’s hearing until February 28.

    Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, heading the bench, emphasized during the hearing that the caretaker prime minister should not perceive appearing in court as an insult.

    He urged PM Kakar to prioritize appearing before the court rather than attending to other commitments, stating, “No one is above the law here.”

    Expressing disappointment over PM Kakar’s absence, Justice Kayani reminded Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan of the prime minister’s previous failure to attend court proceedings. The judge also inquired about the whereabouts of other caretaker ministers and secretaries.

    The judge highlighted that today was the 24th hearing in the case.

    “The petition was filed in 2022 and a commission had been formed. It took us two years to recover our citizens who did not even have any criminal case registered against them.

    “There was no case against them — including any drug, murder, or theft case — let alone a terror case,” Justice Kayani noted. He observed that “no documents or information” was shared with the court in the past two years.

    Addressing AGP Awan, he said, “You had submitted an affidavit that no person would go missing after today. [Yet] a person is missing from Islamabad’s F-6 without a first information report against him.

    “The purpose of summoning the prime minister was to inquire why the state’s premier is failing in his duties,” the IHC judge said.

    Interior Secretary Aftab Durrani eventually appeared before the court, addressing some concerns raised during the hearing.

    Previously, Justice Kayani issued a written order summoning PM Kakar, along with the defense and interior ministers and their respective secretaries, to ensure their physical presence in today’s hearing.

    During the hearing, Justice Kayani highlighted the ongoing struggle to recover missing individuals in the country, particularly the unresolved case of the 12 missing Baloch students.

    He pressed the Attorney General for details regarding ongoing criminal cases and the responsibility of state institutions in enforced disappearances.

    Concerns were raised about the inability of successive governments to address the issue adequately. Justice Kayani proposed forming an inquiry committee comprising representatives from relevant institutions to investigate the matter thoroughly.

    The judge also criticized the notion of granting exemptions to certain institutions and emphasized the importance of accountability.

    This is the second time PM Kakar has been summoned by the IHC. Previously, he was called upon on November 22, 2023, in a case filed by Advocate Imaan Mazari, but was unable to attend as he was out of the country.

  • ‘Baloch protestors can stay in Islamabad, protest, or go back home. The choice is theirs’: IHC Chief Justice

    ‘Baloch protestors can stay in Islamabad, protest, or go back home. The choice is theirs’: IHC Chief Justice

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) raised concerns on Friday about the forced repatriation of Baloch protesters, who had experienced harsh police action the day before, back to their province.

    Chief Justice Aamer Farooq heard a petition filed by Baloch protesters against unlawful detention, questioning why they were being “forcefully” sent back to Balochistan.

    “They can stay in Islamabad, protest, or go back home. The choice is theirs,” remarked Justice Aamer Farooq

    The police used brutal force on Wednesday night to disperse and detain Baloch demonstrators in Islamabad, who were protesting against enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings in their province.

    Over 200 protesters were taken into custody after encountering tear gas, water cannons, and police batons.

    The government later claimed that more than 90 per cent of the Baloch men and women in custody had been released, except for men “who could not be identified” by the police.

    However, during the IHC hearing on a petition seeking the release of detained Baloch protesters, it was revealed that over 50 Baloch women protesters had gone missing after police took action.

    The court instructed representatives of the protesters and their counsel to approach the Islamabad SSP (Investigation) to record their version and sought a report from the police.

    Petitioners’ counsel Attaullah Kundi and Imaan Mazari appeared before the court, explaining that the police had informed them that buses were waiting to take protesters back home.

    Kundi stated that the police chief had mentioned orders from the prime minister for the repatriation of protesters, and Baloch women were forcefully filled into buses. He further revealed that some Baloch students studying in Islamabad were also coerced into the buses.

    The court expressed displeasure and summoned IG Akbar Nasir in response. The police chief claimed to have arranged transport for the protesters, to which the court questioned why they were sent back forcefully. Chief Justice Farooq emphasized that the protesters had the choice to stay in Islamabad, protest, or go home.

    When asked how many protesters were in police custody, the IG replied that 216 Baloch men and women were at the Kohsar police station of which some had been sent on judicial remand. Out of these, 19 women were released, he added.

    Protesters at the Tarnol police station were released by the local magistrate while 162 detainees were sent on judicial remand, said IG Nasir.

    The court also asked about the number of women who were sent home, those released, and the ones staying at the hostel. It also directed the police chief to arrange a meeting of the women with their counsels.

    “You have to convince them that not one person is missing,” Justice Farooq emphasised.

    Journalist Hamid Mir and Ahmed Butt of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also provided insights during the hearing. Mir highlighted discrepancies in government statements, and Butt emphasized the constitutional right to protest in a democracy.

    The court directed the police chief to arrange a meeting between the detained women and their counsels and ensure transparency in the process.

    The IHC CJ further expressed displeasure over Wednesday night’s events, regretting the police action on protesters. “What kind of a society are we living in? Even if a common person is being unjust, public officeholders should always be careful,” he remarked.

    The court then instructed Kundi to oversee the entire matter and contact the IHC registrar’s office if there was a problem. It further said that all the women staying at the I-10 hostel be released.

    “I will issue a detailed order of today’s proceedings,” Justice Farooq said, adding that the next hearing would be conducted by Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb.

  • Water cannons, arrests for Baloch protestors upon reaching Islamabad

    Water cannons, arrests for Baloch protestors upon reaching Islamabad

    An ethnic Baloch activist leader said on Thursday that Islamabad police detained and assaulted several peaceful protesters, demanding the release of all “missing persons” and an end to “extrajudicial killing” in Balochistan under the leadership of activist Dr Mahrang Baloch and Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC).

    The march started in Turbat, Balochistan, on December 6 after the alleged extrajudicial killing of 24-year-old Balach Baloch.

    According to BYC, when the march reached the capital, the city administration didn’t allow them to protest in front of the press club. Maharng Baloch said in her live video from the Facebook page of BYC that Islamabad police arrested 300 male protesters, eight women, and 10 children.

    Dr Baloch also wrote on X (previously Twitter) on Thursday morning that police transferred the arrested protesters to various police stations in the city.

    “At this time they are taking women and children to another station. We are unable to connect to our male fellows, we fear that the state will abduct them.”

    Islamabad police also said in a statement that “Legal action will be taken against those blocking the road.”

    In a voice message sent to Arab News, Mahrang Baloch said that dozens of young Baloch men had been forcefully disappeared, and now a new wave of “extrajudicial” killing has started.

  • ‘I am not a traitor’: Imran Riaz speaks up for first time after disappearance

    ‘I am not a traitor’: Imran Riaz speaks up for first time after disappearance

    Anchorperson and YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan has given an interview for the first time following his recovery after disappearing in May.

    “It is unfortunate if I ever thought that someone’s disappearance may be in the interest of the state”, he said when questioned about his previous stance when he advocated that missing persons are not innocent.

    During a podcast with his lawyer, Mian Ali Ashfaq, ‘Cross-Examination’, he said that “The pain is worse when you are tortured by your own people.”

    He however did not reveal his whereabouts during his disappearance, nor what conditions he was kept in.

    In response to the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on May 9, there were violent demonstrations in various cities of the country and attacks on military installations and buildings.

    The police arrested PTI leaders and activists besides Imran Riaz, who, according to the authorities, was allegedly trying to go abroad from Sialkot airport.

    After his release on May 11, according to police, he went missing outside the prison and returned home several months later in September.

    “I am not a traitor”

    Imran Riaz Khan asserted that he is not a traitor nor did he meet with any enemy of the state.

    “No one should be treated as if he is an enemy of the country,” he said.

    ‘Enforced disappearance is not justified’

    In the past, Imran Riaz Khan used to take on those who criticized the state institutions in the country.

    In one of his vlogs he criticised Gulalai Ismail, a social activist who supports the Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM), stating ‘She is one of those women who burns one’s own house to prove their own selves truthful… They do this to become famous in the west.”

    This was at a time when Gulalai had taken refuge in the United States.

    Similarly, Imran Riaz Khan pointed to one of the protests organised for the recovery of missing persons and said that “These people betray the country and attack the institutions.”

    Imran Riaz now admits that he did not feel the gravity of the issue as much as he does now.

    “I regret today that I ever thought in my life that if someone disappeared, it could be in the interest of the state,” adding that he apologises to all the people who he hurt.

    He asserted that there is no justification for enforced disappearances and that if a person is a criminal, they should be brought before the law.

    Nonetheless, Imran Riaz still supports the PECA law, under which journalists can be prosecuted for criticising state institutions in online content.

    He said that PECA should be applied to journalists too, adding that dragging issues through the mud is not journalism.
    “I am in favour of the strictness of the law but against its misuse,” he said.

  • ‘Fine line between enforced disappearances and self-disappearance’, says Sarfraz Bugti

    ‘Fine line between enforced disappearances and self-disappearance’, says Sarfraz Bugti

    Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti, while addressing the issue of missing persons in Pakistan, stated that the assemblies in the country represent “legitimate voices” for separatists expressing their perspectives.

    During an interview with DawnNewsTV program Doosra Rukh, Bugti delved into the complexities of missing persons cases, shedding light on the challenges faced in resolving them.

    Bugti’s comments come against the backdrop of an ongoing missing persons case being heard by the Islamabad High Court.

    On November 29, the court issued a warning that a case might be filed against the caretaker prime minister and others if they did not facilitate the reunion of missing Baloch students with their families.

    He also emphasized the delicate nature of the missing person issue, stating, “We have a commission on this matter, and it has resolved around 85 per cent of cases.”

    The commission was established in 2011 to trace missing persons and fix responsibility on the individuals or organizations responsible for it.

    In the interview aired on Friday, Minister Bugti pointed out the fine line between “enforced disappearances and self-disappearance”, highlighting that the commission had encountered cases with surprising details.

    “There were cases wherein people left their homes after a domestic dispute, and it transpired weeks later that they had left home themselves.”

    He also noted instances where individuals lost their lives in “encounters” with security forces.

    Minister added, “Then there are cases in which suspects are absconders required by a court, and their families submit pleas claiming their family member as missing to avoid court [action].”

    He remarked that such cases had been reported and documented.

  • FIR to be lodged against Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar and Sarfraz Bugti : Islamabad High Court

    FIR to be lodged against Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar and Sarfraz Bugti : Islamabad High Court

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued a directive to the federal government, ordering the recovery of all missing Baloch students.

    During a hearing related to the implementation of recommendations from the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani warned that a case will be registered against the caretaker prime minister if the recovery of the students is not ensured.

    Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan told the court that 22 Baloch students had been recovered and reached home while 28 Baloch students were still missing and efforts will be made to recover all the missing persons.

    Referring to the missing persons, the senior judge wondered: “Are such things take place in a civilised society? Every missing person who is recovered says I don’t want to pursue the case.”

    If the missing persons are not recovered, the IHC judge said he will order the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar and interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti.

    “I am stating this in very clear words.”

    The judge’s warning follows the non-appearance of the caretaker prime minister, who failed to attend the court hearing on November 29 as summoned by the IHC. The caretaker PM cited foreign trips as the reason for his absence, indicating that he is currently on an official visit to the Middle East.

    Justice Kayani also held the defense secretary and the interior secretary responsible for the recovery of the Baloch students if it didn’t take place. He urged the authorities to present the missing persons in court, even if they are labeled as terrorists.

    The hearing of the case has been adjourned until January 10.

  • Court summons PM Kakar in missing Baloch students case

    Court summons PM Kakar in missing Baloch students case

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) summoned caretaker prime minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar in person on November 29 in a case pertaining to Baloch missing students.

    In today’s verdict, the court asked the federal government to present 55 Baloch missing students as per the recommendation of the Baloch Enforced Disappearance Commission.

    The court has asked the defence and interior ministers and the sectaries from both ministries to present before the court in person and has sought a report within a week from the federal government committee.

    “We are sitting in Islamabad and talking about the rights of Balochistan. I’m giving [you] seven days time to ensure the implementation,” IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani remarked.

    On the other hand, the additional attorney general for Pakistan requested the court not to summon the prime minister and federal ministers.

    IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani was not happy with the report presented before the court by the federal government.

    “This report is a matter of shame for this court,” the judge remarked. He also said that caretaker prime minister should have realised that it’s a matter of Baloch students, as he also belongs to Balochistan.

    Justice Kayani also said, “Should we send this matter to the United Nations? Should we dishonour our country?”

  • Pending missing persons cases is ’embarrassing’, says court

    Pending missing persons cases is ’embarrassing’, says court

    While hearing almost a dozen applications related to cases of missing persons, Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court, Amir Farooq, said that the court is ashamed of the matter that has been pending since the past several years.

    According to Dawn, the remarks were passed during a hearing of a case related to the disappearance of journalist Mudassar Naro, who went missing during a visit to the northern regions.

    Sadaf, Naru’s wife, filed a case in the Islamabad High Court almost five years ago. While waiting for her husband to come back, she too passed away.

    Mudassar Naru’s young son, Sachal, who was only a few months old when his father disappeared, is usually present in court during case proceedings.

    On Thursday, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb stated that cases of enforced disappearances are tarnishing Pakistan’s identity.

    The Attorney General of Pakistan was asked for help in solving the long-standing problem.

    Justice Gul Hasan Aurangzeb pointed out that a former prime minister had also spoken in court on the issue of enforced disappearances but he had not taken any action to stop it.

    Additional Attorney General Barrister Munoor Iqbal Dagal said that the government is serious about this issue and a committee has also been formed in this regard.

  • Pakistani citizen goes missing in Jeddah

    Pakistani citizen goes missing in Jeddah

    Pakistani citizen and UK resident Syed Hussain Ali has gone missing in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on August 28 while on a transit visa in the Kingdom.

    Ali’s father Syed Asim Ali told The Friday Times that he wrote a letter to the Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan and requested caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar to probe into his son’s disappearance.

    Hussain departed from Lahore on Monday 28 August at 11:40am on Saudi Airlines SV735. He landed in Jeddah at 14:50 pm, local time.

    Hussain had an eighteen hour transit and obtained a visa at the airport to perform Umrah.

    He messaged via WhatsApp using the Wi-Fi of a restaurant and then travelled to Mecca to perform Umrah. He then talked to his parents via Messenger video call from McDonald’s restaurant opposite Haram. This, according to the father, was his last communication, between 12:30-1:00 am.

    Hussain wanted to spend a couple of more hours in the Holy Mosque before his flight from Jeddah to London which was scheduled for 9:05 am.

    According to the father, Hussain was only carrying his laptop, phone, wallet and a change of clothing in his laptop bag.
    “He had only $100 on him and the rest of the expenditures he would pay using his debit and credit card,” Asim said.
    Hussain never boarded his flight to London.

    Asim noted that “Normally he is very communicative. It is very unlike him to not be in touch especially when he may know that we are waiting to hear from him,”

    In the letter to the officials, Asim requested to file a missing persons report.

    However, Properganda has commented under the Instagram news of the disappearance that Hussain has been found. That comment, however, is no longer posted.