Supreme Court of Pakistan
The Supreme Court of Pakistan. — Photo by AFP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top judges have declared that law enforcement authorities were involved in enforced disappearances in Balochistan, ordering agencies to produce the remaining 'missing persons' in the next hearing, DawnNews reported.

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Jawad S. Khwaja, was hearing the petition filed by the Balochistan Bar Association on the law and order situation in Pakistan’s largest province.

In its short order on Wednesday,  the SC said that disappearances should be immediately stopped and action be taken against the culprits involved.

Moreover, the court also ordered the agencies to act on the SC's directives and produce the remaining 'missing persons' in court during the next hearing. Individuals involved in anti-state activities should be formally arrested, added the court's orders.

The SC also ordered the administration to draft a policy for compensating families of the victims of enforced disappearances and human rights violations in Balochistan.

Moreover, the bench handed the responsibility of ensuring that the court’s orders are implemented to the Defence Secretary, Nargis Sethi, who was asked to appear before the court today.

Earlier, Attorney General Irfan Qadir presented to the bench the report of a high-powered commission on Balochistan.

According to the report, cases of 43 missing persons were with the commission.

The report moreover stated that 118 people were missing out of which names of 29 persons had been added twice.

The report also said that bodies of nine missing persons had been recovered whereas 16 of the missing had been recovered alive.

It also said that about 17 people, there were only allegations of them having been missing. The report moreover said that there were a number of elements who were trying to benefit from the situation in Balochistan.

A joint probe team was also constituted to recover the missing however no developments could take place on that front, it said.

The court objected to the formation of the high-powered commission upon which the attorney general said that the commission was constituted by the federal government on the directives of the Supreme Court and that its report had been prepared by IG Punjab.

“How could someone who was not posted in Balochistan prepare a report on it?” Justice Khawaja remarked.

Moreover, Chief Justice Iftikhar remarked: “Balochistan police could not enter the cantonment areas without a permit…who would cooperate with a probe commission with no powers?”

The hearing was subsequently adjourned until July 9, 2012 to be held at the Supreme Court’s Quetta registry.

Opinion

Editorial

Diplomatic resolve
Updated 30 May, 2026

Diplomatic resolve

Iran, too, must engage seriously and provide credible assurances about its nuclear programme if it wants sanctions relief and a more stable relationship with the outside world.
Weaponising water
30 May, 2026

Weaponising water

CLIMATE Minister Musadik Malik’s warning against what he described as “water aggression” indicates ...
Rabies toll
30 May, 2026

Rabies toll

EVERY year, rabies, the deadliest zoonotic disease, kills more than 59,000 people worldwide. In Pakistan, it is one...
Pressure politics
Updated 28 May, 2026

Pressure politics

The attempt to connect the Iran conflict with the Abraham Accords makes little sense.
Eid’s true spirit
Updated 27 May, 2026

Eid’s true spirit

Pakistan celebrates Eid while grappling with economic strain that continues to weigh heavily on ordinary households.
Cotton crisis
Updated 29 May, 2026

Cotton crisis

We need a coherent long-term cotton strategy or else, Pakistan might lose a key pillar of its export economy.