ISLAMABAD: A civil society organisation has called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to re-evaluate the entire mechanism for resolving the issue of enforced disappearances.
In a statement, Defence of Human Rights (DHR) — led by rights activist Amina Masood Janjua — expressed serious reservations over a performance report, released recently by the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED), claiming to have disposed of an exceptionally high number of cases in a single month.
In a response to the claims, DHR said that the commission’s disposal of 103 cases in just one month was deeply concerning, as it implied that none of the matters had been given a proper hearing.
This pace suggested cases were being dismissed after just a few minutes of review, the DHR said in a statement issued on Thursday.
Such a rushed process, resulting in one-line conclusions such as, “the detenue disappeared by himself”, was unacceptable and misleading to the public.
The statement noted that as per their own records, 21 of the 103 cases disposed of were referred by DHR. The commission’s lack of due diligence is evident from the fact that it only just disposed of a case for a person, who had surfaced alive a decade ago, it noted.
The blanket conclusion that 103 individuals disappeared on their own was particularly alarming, especially when DHR possessed record of numerous cases with ample evidence of forced disappearances.
It also voiced concern over the recent trend of disposing of cases in bulk, based on what appear to be wrongful and misleading assumptions, saying that the Supreme Court’s original intent in forming this commission was to create a mechanism free from bureaucratic red tape and delays.
Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2025