KARACHI: Newly appointed federal minister for defence, Khawaja Mohammad Asif, assured the Supreme Court on Thursday that the government would submit a detailed report regarding 'missing persons' or enforced disappearances by Dec 10.

Asif, who holds the portfolio of the water and power ministry, was given the additional charge of the ministry of defence on Wednesday after an observation made in court by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry the previous day.

The chief justice had said that if 35 undeclared internees allegedly in the custody of military authorities were not produced before the court on Thursday (today), he would call the defence minister for personal explanation. And, sure enough, the newly appointed defence minister was summoned in court.

Asif told the three-member bench that 738 missing persons had so far been recovered by authorities. “It is our responsibility to recover all missing persons,” Asif told the court.

The chief justice said that those paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) personnel who accused of involvement in cases of enforced disappearances should be presented in court. The court also summoned the Inspector-General of the FC force in court on Friday.

Following the hearing, the defence minister paid a visit to a protest camp outside the Karachi Press Club to speak to heirs of the missing persons of Balochistan.

Asif said that he would speak to the prime minister and the chief minister of Balochistan to resolve the issue and hoped to reach a solution as early as Dec 10.

He said that the missing persons should be produced before the concerned courts for prosecution of their alleged crimes by the authorities who are keeping them in custody.

He said that the present government has committed itself to resolving the long standing issue of missing persons as per law and the constitution, and that the matter cannot be delayed any longer.

“We are firm on our commitment. This matter cannot be left hanging for much longer. The government hopes to reach a solution to the issue of the missing persons of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as soon as possible within the law and the constitution of Pakistan,” said Asif.

At this time, vice-chairman for the ‘Voice of Baloch Missing Persons’, Mama Qadir told the defence minister that there are over 18,000 Baloch political activists, students and youth have been missing, and that a large number of mutilated bodies of these missing persons have also been recovered.

Children and family member of the missing told Khawaja Asif at the camp that they had travelled 756 kilometres from Quetta on foot to register their protest against the enforced disappearance of their loved ones.

The protestors said that if their relatives were responsible for any crimes, they should be tried in court. They said that they would accept it if their loved ones are even sentenced to death by the courts, but stressed that it was their right to know of their condition and whereabouts.

The defence minister said that no one has the right to take any actions outside the law, and told the protestors that he hoped to solve the issue by as early as Dec 10.