ISLAMABAD: Suleman Gohar Khan, who would be 21 years old, came to Shakoor village in the Charsadda district in 2009, after the ‘Way of Salvation’ operation was launched in Swat. He reached a government school where Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were being housed.

Three months later on July 27 intelligence officials arrested Suleman, who was 15 at the time, and moved him to an undisclosed location. Since then Suleman’s family has tried to get information pertaining to his whereabouts, but to no avail.

Ali, Suleman’s brother, told Dawn that he has been looking for his brother for almost six years. He said that the agencies that picked up his brother, in front of witnesses, has never allowed Suleman to contact his family, even over the phone.

Ali, along with his mother, were speaking at a seminar titled ‘Campaign for the Recovery of Missing Persons’, organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), in connection with the International Day of Enforced Disappearances on Sunday.

“The whole family is miserable; we don’t even know if Suleman is alive or not. We are just asking that the agencies allow Suleman to contact us over the phone,” Ali said.

There were 10 women present at the seminar, hoping it might help them recover their loved ones.

HRCP Secretary General I.A. Rehman told Dawn that the missing persons issue was taken up a few years ago, but that government and non-governmental organisations (NGO) have now lost interest. “There are a number of cases where proof is available about how people went missing, but no progress has been made,” he said.

Senator Jehanzeb Jamaldini, of the Balochistan National Party (BNP-M) said that Pakistan is being defamed internationally due to the enforced disappearances.

“Even senators aren’t aware of the issue, so a multi-channel struggle is necessary to address the issue of missing persons,” he said.

Jamaldini said that as many as seven people from his family have been killed and five are still missing, which is why the issue is particularly important to him.

“My party opposed the 21st Amendment, which legalised military courts for civilian trials, and we did not participate in the vote. Unfortunately, the left has disappeared in the country because leftists have either joined NGOs or the media,” he said.

Asma Jehangir said that she has been handling missing persons cases for a long time.

“I have seen that some judges take missing persons cases seriously, but others do not. Some NGOs are working sincerely, but others are exaggerating the issue and the number of missing persons. We should not convert two cases into 20,” Jehangir said.

“Those in detention centres, and those who have kidnapped for ransom, should not be included in the list of missing persons. It is a political issue, but it should not be politicized,” she added. Jehangir said that people should have high expectations of courts that have said military courts can try civilians.

“The former Chief Justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, took up the missing persons issue, but he was more interested in making news than addressing the issue. Some judges are cowards, and an inspector for the Intelligence Bureau (IB) is enough to deal with them,” she added.

“We support the armed forces, but not at the expense of our freedom,” she said.

Human rights activist Tahira Abdullah said that Pakistan should become a signatory of the United Nations (UN) Convention on Enforced Disappearances. “Unfortunately things are only heard in the country when they are internationalized,” she said.

Activist Imdad Chandio said that during General Ziaul Haq’s regime people were arrested, tortured and jailed after cases were registered against them.

“But now people are being picked up without the registration of cases, and without their relatives being informed. It is a violation of the law and of human rights,” he said.

Ibrahim Khan, a former member of youth parliament and a law student, told Dawn that he was shocked to hear some of the stories.

“I can’t imagine if one of my relatives disappeared this way. I wish I could help these families. However, I will try my best to raise the issue with the members of the current youth parliament,” he said.

The seminar was also followed by a protest against enforced disappearances outside the National Press Club.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2015

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