LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has rung alarm over rapid rise in enforced disappearances in Sindh, with the victims turning up dead. Those taken away are young men, mainly political activists, picked up from various parts of the province in the last few months. HRCP demanded immediate steps to put an end to the ghastly trend and to bring the killers to justice.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Commission said: “HRCP has noted with great alarm increasing reports of enforced disappearance of citizens, mainly activists of nationalist political parties, in Sindh and their tortured bodies being found weeks or months later. In several cases the involvement of security forces’ personnel has been established by witnesses while in some their role has been actively suspected. Those familiar with the authorities’ inclinations toward dealing with dissent across Pakistan over the last decade hardly need to be reminded why official involvement is suspected”.
“We also urge the government to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance without further delay and ensure its prompt implementation. Pakistan should also seek help from other countries, in this continent and beyond, who were once afflicted by this outrageous practice but have managed to turn their back on it”, the statement reads.–Staff Reporter