File photo shows demonstrators protesting over the issue of missing persons in Balochistan. —File Photo

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Prime Minister has called a high-powered meeting over the issue of enforced disappearances and ‘missing persons’ in Balochistan.

The meeting, to be chaired by Law Minister Farooq H. Naek, will be held Tuesday focusing exclusively on the issue of missing persons in Balochistan.

The meeting will be attended by the Secretary Defence, Secretary Interior, Law Secretary, the Chief Secretary of Balochistan, Director General (DG) Intelligence Bureau (IB), the head of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in Balochistan, Director General of the Frontier Corps and the Inspector General (IG) of Balochistan.

The meeting on ‘missing persons’ is a follow-up to Monday’s session on Balochistan which was presided over by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf.

Security agencies and law enforcement authorities have recently come under intense criticism over the thorny issue of enforced disappearances and human rights violations in the insurgency-hit province.

Pakistani courts, including the apex court, are hearing several cases on the same subject. In the hearing for one such case on June 20, the Supreme Court had declared in its short order that law enforcement authorities were involved in the disappearances, ordering agencies to produce the remaining ‘missing persons’ in the next hearing, which is to be held now on July 9, 2012 at the SC’s Quetta registry.

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