Panel on missing persons activated

ISLAMABAD: The caretaker government has activated the government committee related to missing persons.

A 5-member government committee related to forced disappearances has been formed. The Cabinet Division has sent the decision of the federal cabinet to interior ministry. The committee will be headed by the Minister for Law and Justice. The committee members include the Minister for Defence and the Minister for National Heritage and Culture. The Minister for Human Rights will also be a member of the committee. An expert in law or a representative of human rights organizations will be included in the committee.

The report and recommendations of the committee will be submitted to the federal cabinet. The Ministry of Interior will provide secretarial support to the committee. The government committee will look into the cases of enforced disappearances. Earlier, the caretaker interior minister headed the committee on enforced disappearances.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior has approached the Ministry of Law and Justice and sought its advice before submitting a written response to the Supreme Court on the illegal disappearance of any person. According to government sources, the Ministry of Interior will take the process forward on the advice of Ministry of Law and Justice.