I have been taking up issue of enforced disappearances consistently in Parliament, other public forums: Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan

ISLAMABAD, May 6 (SABAH): Defense of Human Rights Pakistan (DHR) Chairperson Amina Masood Janjua has said that after the end of war on terror, Afghanistan released all of its prisoners but the situation in Pakistan is totally otherwise.

Amina Masood Janjua expressed these views during a consultative seminar on “A way forward for enforced disappearances” organized jointly by Defence of Human Rights and Aafia Movement here on Saturday. Addressing the seminar, she said that they were emotionally as well as financially devastated. “Before coming into power, Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif promised to resolve the issue but our grievances remains as it is despite the fact he is still in power,” she deplored.

“We have seen four governments but the issue of missing persons could not be resolved till this day. The Supreme Court of Pakistan also interfered into the issue but it remained the same. Now, enough is enough, and we are going to take up this issue at each and every forum. For God sake, see towards people’s plight. Media and civil society’s all forums must raise this issue,” she urged.

“My husband was forcefully disappeared during the former ruler President Parvez Musarraf’s tenure. Till today, we are without information about his whereabouts. Our children were very young at the time. It would be impossible for anyone to understand what we have all gone through during these years of pain and sadness,” Amina Masood Janjua said.

Addressing the seminar, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan said that issue of enforced disappearances was very grave in nature and added has been taking up this issue consistently in the Parliament and other public forums. He said people are picked up regularly in KPK and Balochistan and added during the last few months, the situation is very critical in Punjab. He also mentioned private jails in the country. He deplored so much so the innocent girls were being picked up nowadays.

On the occasion, Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui, the sister of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui present in American jail, said that issue of enforced disappearances is a story of lost children of a mother, adding a sensible person can imagine what would be the situation of parents when their children are forcefully disappeared. She also threw light on the emotions of Aafia Siddiqui’s mother when her daughter had gone missing, terming it a saddest day for her but she audaciously bore the burden of her separation from her. Tears came out of her eyes whilst she way saying this.

Lawyer for Dr. Aafia in the US, Clive Stafford Smith also spoke on the occasion. He said that Amina’s husband was picked up in Musharraf’s tenure and he is still missing. He deplored the state of affairs in the country and told the participants of seminar that he had also faced traumatic situations. Tears came out of his eyes the moment he was discussing the issue.

Addressing the seminar renowned journalist, columnist and anchorperson Hamid Mir said that his family had to face such an issue as well before Pakistan came into existence which is why he knows the worries of such incidents. He suggested Amina Masood Janjua to constitute a committee ahead of general elections and hold meetings with senior leaders of all parties to include the issue of release of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui in their elections manifestos.

PPP leader and former Senator Farhatullah Babar also stressed upon the state institutions to sort out this issue as soon as possible.