Chairperson Defence of Human Rights Amna Masood Janjua has said that the number of missing people is in thousands and 80 percent of the imprisoned people are innocent. Addressing a press conference at the press club the other day she said that the missing persons also included doctors, engineers and scientists who have been handed over to the US.
She said the Defence of Human Rights, in cooperation with the students and civil society, has started a campaign for recovery of the missing people, adding that a seminar on March 23 had been organised in Lahore. She said now another seminar will be held in Islamabad on April 17 where JI amir Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Leader of the House in Senate Raza Rabbani, Justice Wajihuddin and others would express their views.
Amna Masood also greeted new Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillan and the new cabinet and hoped that the new government would address the issue of missing persons and very soon they would meet with their relatives.
She said they knew the new government is facing numerous problems and also extended their full support to the coalition government. The Chairperson of Defence of Human Rights said the government has taken thousands of persons into its custody without any reason and justification. She claimed that 269 people have been missing from Balochistan, 134 from Punjab, 63 from NWFP and 70 from Sindh.