I AM alarmed by reports about a wave of disappearances that have taken place recently, particularly of activists in Balochistan. While some of the people who were reported to have disappeared have returned home, there are credible reports that others still remain missing.

Victims of enforced disappearances are at considerable risk of torture and other ill-treatment and even death. To date, not a single perpetrator of the crime has been brought to justice.

The Commission on Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances received nearly 300 cases of alleged enforced disappearances from August to October, by far the largest number in a three-month period in recent years. After its last visit to Pakistan, in 2012, the UN Working Group noted that there is “a climate of impunity with regard to enforced disappearances, and the authorities are not sufficiently dedicated to investigating these cases and holding the perpetrators accountable.

On Oct 16, Pakistan became one of 15 states elected by the UN General Assembly to serve as members of the UN Human Rights Council, from January 2018 to December 2020. In its election pledges, Pakistan said that it was “firmly resolved to uphold, promote and safeguard universal human rights and fundamental freedoms for all.”

For that claim to be taken seriously, Pakistan must make ending enforced disappearances a priority and hold all suspected perpetrators, including military and intelligence personnel to account, through fair trials without recourse to the death penalty. Dawn should immediately carry out independent and effective investigations to determine the fate and whereabouts of all missing people.

Ute Schafer

Amnesty International,

Idestein, Germany

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2017