LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has welcomed the recent meeting between the families of forcibly disappeared persons and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, and Poverty Alleviation Minister Shazia Marri in Quetta.

While this was a positive development, HRCP said it firmly believes that expressions of solidarity alone can be no substitute for concrete action towards safely recovering victims of enforced disappearances. “Such action, in turn, requires that the perpetrators be identified and held responsible through a transparent and effective mechanism,” the commission said.

The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances remains a painfully inadequate mechanism for ensuring that victims receive justice. Given the poor record and controversies that dog its current chairman, HRCP demands that he be removed and the commission’s mandate be strengthened to ensure its independence and integrity.

The Cabinet’s subcommittee on missing persons must make good on its promises and act swiftly to eradicate what is recognised internationally as a crime against humanity, in the first instance, by criminalising enforced disappearances.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022