Balochistan ties some missing persons to terror

QUETTA: Responding to the allegations of enforced disappearances of citizens, the Balochistan government, in a clarification, categorically rejected claims that there were “thousands of missing persons’ cases” and that the authorities were involved in stalling the probes into the matter.

The number of missing persons’ cases with the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances was not in ‘thousands’, the provincial government said, adding that the commission was functional and had detected some fake cases as well.

The spokesperson said that the government put the resolution of the missing persons’ issues among its top priorities. “If a family thinks that a member is missing, then it can directly contact the commission,” it said.

It further stated that some individuals named in the missing persons list were found involved in a few terror incidents. Moreover, the ruling party in Balochistan - Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) - had already recommended resolving the issue of enforced disappearances through a parliamentary committee.

In January, the then-caretaker Balochistan information minister Jan Achakzai claimed that those who were being labelled by Baloch protesters as “missing persons” were in fact “terrorists” and got killed in Pakistan’s counterstrike inside Iran.

Pakistan had launched strikes on terrorists’ hideouts inside Iran, in a retaliatory attack two days after Tehran violated the country’s sovereignty by launching a strike in Balochistan that left two children dead and injured three girls. He alleged that Mahrang Baloch, who was leading the protest in Islamabad against enforced disappearances of citizens, had been staging “drama” and defaming Pakistan under the guise of missing persons issue.

Later in February, then caretaker prime minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar claimed that the government was facing an armed struggle in Balochistan, asserting that the armed individuals were fighting to “create a new state”.The prime minister’s statement came during his appearance before the high court in the missing Baloch students case.

In separate statements, ex-premier Kakar also alleged that terrorists in Balochistan had been receiving funding from the Indian spy agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), and killing people in Balochistan.