PAKISTAN has been plagued with the ulcer of missing persons for decades now, leaving countless families in anguish and undermining trust in the state’s ability to protect its citizens. The Islamabad High Court’s recent dissatisfaction with the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances is not surprising. Such bodies have persistently failed to provide even basic answers to the families of the missing, let alone ensure justice. In the latest hearing on the matter, the court was informed by the counsel for missing persons that since August alone, 187 persons have gone missing. The state’s response, through committees, commissions, and financial compensation, has been grossly insufficient, more a case of lip service than genuine resolve.

Families of the disappeared do not want compensation; they want their loved ones back, or at the very least, truthful information about their fates. Committees that fail to achieve these goals should be disbanded. If such bodies are only symbolic, they are not only ineffective but insulting to the families of the missing. As highlighted by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, the state is obligated to provide clear information, regardless of whether these individuals are held in Pakistan or elsewhere. Instead, successive governments have hidden behind complex bureaucratic processes or framed the issue as politically charged. The government needs to take tangible steps, to address this grave human rights violation at its core. This includes holding those responsible — often state actors — accountable. The issue further demands enacting proper legislation against enforced disappearances — given the irony that the relevant bill itself went missing — bringing state functionaries under clear legal frameworks, and ratifying international treaties such as the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. A transparent ‘truth and reconciliation commission’ involving the families of the missing could also be a step toward healing and justice. This state must move beyond superficial efforts. This national wound must heal.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2024