Missing persons’ families reject one-time compensation, demand monthly payments

The Sindh home department has sent a summary to the chief minister for giving one-time compensation to the families of victims of enforced disappearance, a provincial law officer told the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday.

Filing comments on a petition against enforced disappearance of citizens from different parts of the city, the law officer submitted that the home department had proposed Rs500,000 in compensation to the families of missing persons to provide them financial assistance in view of their plight and court orders.

The high court had on a previous hearing directed the Sindh government to consider a compensation request in the provincial task force meeting to the families of missing persons whose cases had been declared as those of enforced disappearances. The Sindh home secretary submitted in the summary that the missing persons had reportedly links with banned organisations like the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London and others and their families had been narrating their stories of hardship since the disappearance of their loved ones.

He submitted that the Sindh government had previously allowed a compensation of Rs500,000 to each family of 25 missing persons in 2018 and the home department considered it appropriate to consider the compensation cases of the current petitioners on the same lines.

The home department proposed in the summary that funds amounting to Rs6,000,000 may be sanctioned for distribution among the families of missing persons at Rs500,000 per family and placed at the disposal of the home department for disbursement to the closest nominated kin of families through the Karachi commissioner after his full satisfaction regarding the completion of all legal formalities.

The petitioners’ counsel, however, contested the one-time grant and submitted that monthly compensation may be given to the families instead of a one-time compensation in line with an order of the Islamabad High Court which was upheld by the Supreme Court.

The provincial law officer undertook before the court that he would consult the issue with the relevant authorities and submit a report within two months. Meanwhile, investigation officers submitted that they were continuously making efforts for the recovery of missing persons but since these cases were old, they were not finding the clue. They said that they would continue to make efforts for the recovery of missing persons and submit a progress report on the next hearing.