PESHAWAR: The inquiry commission established to investigate enforced disappearances in Khyber Pakh-tunkhwa has begun its work.The commission heard 22 petitions on Monday and, through its efforts, succeeded in reuniting one missing person with his family.
A citizen, Ikramullah, who had been missing since October 19, 2023, from Farooqia Madrassa in Tajabad, Peshawar, was produced before the court and subsequently handed over to his relatives.
According to commission member Justice (R) Syed Afsar Shah, the commission will continue to hear cases on a regular basis. He said enforced disappearances have caused suffering to thousands of families for years, and the hearing of these petitions marks an important step toward justice, transparency, and accountability.
Meanwhile, the Peshawar High Court (PHC), after hearing eight petitions filed for the recovery of missing persons from various parts of the province, disposed of four petitions and issued notices to the federal, provincial, and other relevant departments in the remaining cases, seeking their replies. The petitions were heard by a single bench headed by Senior Puisne Judge Justice Ijaz Anwar. During the proceedings, Additional Attorney General Sanaullah, Additional Advocate General, representatives from the Home Department, and the police focal person appeared before the court.
Counsel for the petitioners informed the court that their clients had approached the PHC for the recovery of their missing family members, whose whereabouts remain unknown. They said it was unclear who had picked them up. The additional attorney general told the court that, in the petition filed by Ms. Musarrat, the report from the Ministry of Defence had not yet been received. He requested that the matter be referred to the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances. In another case, a petitioner informed the court that both his son and his son’s friend had gone missing. His son’s friend was later found murdered, while his son remains missing.
