DHR suggests six points for missing persons recovery

Addressing a press conference in National Press Club Thursday accompanied by the representatives of American human rights’ organisations and sister of Dr Afia Siddiqui, namely Fauzia Siddiqui, Amna Masood Janjua staged her six demands to be met by the government.First, she demanded that the case of all the missing persons should be heard by a single bench of the Supreme Court, not on the basis of nationalism but on that of ‘Pakistaniyat’.Second, the violation of human rights done with American consent including forced disappearances, drone attacks, and target-killings should be probed at a higher level and those responsible should be punished.Third, for safeguarding the integrity of the country, all the stake holders including intelligence agencies, army, and the government officials should be summoned before the Supreme Court chamber and given the deadline for realising missing persons’ recovery.Fourth, the parliamentary committees, Human Rights Commission and the commission for missing persons should be made functional; otherwise they should be abolished.Fifth, the commission on missing persons should be reconstituted such that it should have nine members. A serving judge of the Supreme Court should head the commission with four judges from high courts and four retired judges.Sixth, as the missing persons’ commission is the one equivalent to the judiciary, all of its members should work for it without receiving a financial reward for their service. In addition, all the family members of the missing persons should be allocated money from the national exchequer.She said that the statement of ‘all’s well’ made by the government displays its indifference to the issue.She appreciated the efforts of Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court, Justice Dost Muhammad for making the government confess that it is responsible for the disappearance of around two thousand persons.Meanwhile, all the family members of the missing persons held a demonstration in front of the press club. The representatives of human rights’ organisation from the US, sister of Dr Afia Siddiqui, namely Fauzia Siddiqui and others participated in the rally.