UN mission to probe missing persons case

Pakistan

UN mission to probe missing persons case

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The high-level delegation led by Olivier de Frouville arrived on Sunday.

10 September,2012 01:48 pm

A UN delegation has arrived in Pakistan on a 10-day mission to investigate cases of enforced disappearances plaguing the country at the invitation of the government, a spokeswoman said on Monday.International and Pakistani human rights groups estimate thousands of people have been kidnapped and detained in secret prisons in the past decade..The Supreme Court is already investigating cases of missing people in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, where the military has been accused of rights violations in its bid to put down a separatist insurgency.The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has arrived in Pakistan at the invitation of the government, UN spokeswoman Ishrat Rizvi told AFP.She said the high-level delegation led by Olivier de Frouville arrived on Sunday and will stay in Pakistan until September 20.The UN experts will gather information on cases of enforced disappearances, the UN said in an earlier statement.They will also study the measures adopted by the state to prevent and eradicate enforced disappearances, including issues related to truth, justice and reparation for the victims of enforced disappearances.The visit of the group will provide an opportunity to highlight the efforts being undertaken by the government to address this important issue and to further improve the relevant procedures, the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement.The mission will meet members of the civil society, media, jurists and officials from the foreign and interior ministries to prepare their report.