GENEVA: The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances will visit Pakistan for the first time from Sept 10 to 20 at the invitation of the government.
During the mission, the UN experts will gather information on cases of enforced disappearances pending before the working group. They will also study the measures adopted by Pakistan to prevent and eradicate enforced disappearances, including issues related to truth, justice and reparation for the victims of enforced disappearances, said a press release issued Wednesday.
The group is scheduled to visit various parts of the country and meet with government officials, both at the federal and provincial levels, as well as with representatives of civil society organizations, relatives of disappeared persons and representatives of relevant UN agencies.
At its last session in July, the group reviewed more than 200 cases of enforced or involuntary disappearances concerning over 30 countries, including Pakistan.
The group will be represented by Mr. Olivier de Frouville, the Chair-Rapporteur, and by Mr. Osman El-Hajjé, member. The independent experts will be accompanied by members of the Secretariat of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
A final report on the mission will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in 2013.
The working group is comprised of five independent experts from all regions of the world. The Chair-Rapporteur is Mr. Olivier de Frouville (France) and the other members are Mr. Ariel Dulitzky (Argentina), Ms. Jasminka Dzumhur (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Mr. Osman El-Hajjé (Lebanon), and Mr. Jeremy Sarkin (South Africa).
