Misleading Persons Issue 

Baloch protesters, who have been camping outside the National Press Club in Islamabad for over a week now, had on December 28 given the government a seven-day ultimatum to fulfill their demands which include the release of all protesters detained during police action, detailed investigation into rights violations in Balochistan, elimination of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, release of all victims of enforced disappearances, restrictions on the Counter-Terrorism Department and elimination of “state-sponsored death squads. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar took exception to the support lent to protesters and said those supporting the demonstration could go join the Baloch militants. Advocates of terrorists in Balochistan should go and join them if they are convinced on the veracity of their issue and fight the state along with them, so that we know where they stand and how to deal with them. Kakar had also alleged that those protesting in Islamabad were the “relatives of those fighting against the state” in Balochistan. “We still respect their right to protest because their dear and near ones disappeared. But they should also know that they [militants] were fighting against the state, with the help of RAW funding and aided by India. It is an armed rebellion, with foreign help.

The perpetual propaganda over missing persons in Pakistan is ill-founded and divorced from ground realities. The myth of enforced disappearances has been busted by the facts that most of the ‘so-called missing persons’ have either gone into hiding for personal reasons, tribal feuds or have left their homes to join foreign based terrorist outfits. Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances states in a report that since March 2011, 7001 out of total 9203 (over 76 %) cases of missing persons have been either traced, found or disposed off. details submitted by the Missing Persons Commission to the government through the AGP. As per the report, the highest numbers of 3,485 cases of missing persons were reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa followed by the enforced disappearance of 2,752 citizens from Balochistan.

In order to clarify perspective on missing persons, it must be understood that it is a global issue. According to US National Crime Information Centre report of 2021, over 521,705 cases of missing persons were reported in USA. As per UK, 325,171 cases of missing persons were reported in 2019/20. As per news report, approx. 11,000 people went missing in Germany in 2018. In regional context, 347,524 missing persons’ cases were reported in India in 2018. Similarly, it is estimated that about 50, 000-60,000 missing persons are listed in Iran.

A nefarious campaign against Pakistani state with some persons exploiting the missing persons issue as a comprehensive missing person report was submitted to the apex court of the country. According to report, out of 10,000 reported missing persons 8,000 cases have been resolved. Around 820 individuals are missing in the country while 2,200 individuals had returned to Balochistan. This statistics proved that the propaganda surrounding missing persons has failed. Disinformation propagated by anti state elements and their foreign based and domestic proxies is to create a wedge between the public and state institutions, to mislead youth, and to defame Pakistan in the international arena.