Number of missing persons has now started to decline in Sindh, says HRCP.

HYDERABAD -- Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) co-chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt has said that enforced disappearance is a grave violation of fundamental human rights.

Missing persons should be produced in court to face trial for the offence they might have allegedly committed as holding them incommunicado at undisclosed places was an HR violation, he said.

He admitted that the number of missing persons in Sindh had now started to decline though their number had increased in recent past. No institution could be allowed to subject anyone to tyranny, he said.

Mr Butt was speaking to journalists at a tea party hosted in his honour at local press club on Wednesday.

He said that if an activist had committed a crime, he should be dealt with in accordance with the law rather than be made victim of enforced disappearance. Missing person should be produced in court to face trial for the offence they had allegedly committed as keeping them at undisclosed location was an HR violation.

He said that under no law one could be kept at an undisclosed location. When families of missing persons launched struggle, it yielded results and missing persons started being released, he said.

Mr Butt said that issues of religious minorities, women, children and missing persons were common in Pakistan. The situation was critical and called for continuing struggle.

He said that movement against generals Yahya, Zia and Musharraf was not that difficult but today it appeared difficult because today the 'oppressor' remained 'invisible' whereas in the past it was visible. No society could make any progress where freedom of expression and writing was curbed, he said.

He said that freedom of expression and writing was curbed and journalists faced 'queries' for their work. Lack of investment in the country was also due to the fact that one...