ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani took notice of the report of another person going missing in the federal capital and pointed out that this was “the fifth enforced disappearance in 12 days”.

Referring to Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s recent remarks on the floor of the upper house, where he said that disappearances were not state policy and would not be tolerated, the chairman summoned Minister of State for Interior Baleeghur Rahman to brief the house on progress on the investigations and other relevant details.

The brother of Samar Abbas, who went missing from the capital on Jan 8, is expected to lodge a complaint with Ramna police and petition the Supreme Court of Pakistan for his recovery.

Ashar Abbas, the younger brother of Samar Abbas – who disappeared from the capital last week – told Dawn that his brother came over to Islamabad on a business trip. “He last spoke to his wife from his mobile phone on Sunday. Since then, he is missing and his phone has been switched off,” he added.

“He have learned that he went missing from the G-11 area. [On Friday], we will go to the area police station and a lodge complaint for the registration of a case, alongside representatives from the National Human Rights Commission,” he stated. In addition, a a petition would also submitted to the Supreme Court in this regard.

When asked about the possible motive or reason behind Samar’s disappearance and whether the family had any suspects in mind, Ashar Abbas replied that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had already said that the issue was on his radar and that he would be found very soon.

When asked if he had any connection with the activists and bloggers who had also gone missing over the past week, he said: “Samar has no links with any other person who disappeared recently, except that he is also among those who went missing.”

Mr Abbas said his brother owned an information technology business and had recently stated a import and export business as well, adding that he was not a social media activist.

He described his brother as a social activist who participated in welfare activities, including a recent campaign to ‘Clean Karachi’, he said.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2017