QUETTA: Pakistan People’s Party Senator Farhatullah Babar has called for disbanding Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances.
“Time is ripe to disband the commission and establish a new one with experts as its members, as it has failed to deliver and publish its report,” said the senator during a meeting with the Human Rights Committee of the Senate to take stock of the situation of missing persons in the province, persecution and target killings of Hazaras and other issues.
He also called for making public the report of the commission under late Justice Mansoor Kamal, which worked for only one year. Chaired by Senator Nasreen Jalil the meeting was attended by senators Sitara Ayaz, Dr Jahanzeb Jamaldini, Mir Kabir Shahi, Mufti Abdul Sattar and Farhatullah Babar.
He said that those who have returned homes be encouraged to depose before the Senate Committee on Human Rights with assurances of protection and confidentiality. “Secondly, complete information about the inmates in 45 internment centres under Action in Aid of Civil Power should be presented before the Senate committee so as to proceed further in the matter.”
He said General Musharraf had claimed in his biography that his government had captured 689 militants and handed over 369 to the US without trial for bounties to the tune of millions of dollars. “Since Musharraf was not held accountable for this, some elements may still think that they can get away with impunity with disappearing people,” he said.
“Parliament should be informed about the details of those handed over by Musharraf to foreign countries without trial and without due process,” he said.
He added that for raising the comfort level of victims they should be assured protection as well as confidentiality of their statements before the committee. For raising the comfort of the state agencies often accused of involvement in enforced disappearances, he said that the committee members should take an oath not to make public statements made before them by those recovered.
He said that the Action in Aid of Civil Power was promulgated in 2011 but was given retrospective effect from 2008 to enable the security agencies bring into the open for trial of those detained by them for years. “Now the security agencies should reciprocate by not obstructing the recovered persons from deposing before the Senate committee in complete confidence,” he said.
“If it appeared that the recovered persons were obstructed from appearing before the committee it will only strengthen the lingering suspicion that invisible elements more powerful than parliament, courts and the commission on enforced disappearances were involved,” he warned.
Published in Daily Times, November 14th 2017.
