National

Cabinet’s Sub-Committee to present its recommendations regarding forcedly disappeared persons in front of cabinet

ISLAMABAD, July 14 (SABAH): Cabinet’s Sub-Committee formed on Forced Disappearances and Missing Persons issue on Thursday reiterated the resolve to present its recommendations within four to five weeks over the serious issue of missing persons in front of the federal cabinet.

It has been decided to invite representatives of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and bar associations during the next committee meeting to be called on July 19.

Cabinet’s Standing Committee on Enforced Disappearances and Missing Persons held its third meeting here with its Chairman Minister for Law and Justice Senator Chaudhry Azam Nazir Tarar Advocate in the chair wherein Federal Minister for Human Rights Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Senator Syed Faisal Ali Subuzwari, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Agha Hassan Baloch and senior officials of the Ministry of Interior attended the meeting.

Defense of Human Rights Pakistan (DHR) Chairperson Amina Masood Janjua was especially invited who laid before the committee her suggestions in connection with sorting out the issue of missing persons.

Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada and Additional Home Secretary Balochistan presented their suggestions before the committee. To this the committee reiterated the resolve to present its recommendations within four to five weeks while keeping in view the seriousness of the matter. The relevant stakeholders will also be invited during the next meeting of the committee. Senator Kamran Murtaza Advocate and President Supreme Court Bar Association Chaudhry Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon Advocate will also be invited in the meeting to be held on July 19 at 3:00 PM.

As per declaration issued by Defense of Human Rights, Amina Masood Janjua represented all missing persons and the affectees in the meeting. She told the members of the committee her own story her husband a well-known educationist and businessman of Rawalpindi in 2005, Masood Ahmed Janjua and his friend Faisal Faraz went missing and that she launched this campaign.

She went on to say that her young ones were in early of their ages and her parents had grown old, adding there was no one at home for meeting the daily expenditures. “Since then my struggle is ongoing even after the passage of 17 years till now and I will keep it continue since my last breadth. I will leave no stone unturned for the recovery of missing persons. We have reached an awkward situation in the country,” she deplored.

Amina Masood Janjua said she appeared before 12 chief justices in last 17 years while she observed five regimes Musharraf followed Zardari, Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan and now Shehbaz Sharif. During this long period, though the issue of missing persons still stands unresolved.

Amina Masood Janjua said she will not ask as to why and from where these people were picked up as it is a tragedy very grave in nature terming it a crime in the light of laws and human rights. She said the United National has declared it a crime against humanity. She said she along with team of Defence of Human Rights has suffered a lot in this situation, adding it is sorry to state that there is an environment of uncertainty and hate where all the stakeholders are faced-to-faced with one another.