Recovering Missing Persons.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday of making all-out efforts for the recovery of missing persons. The Prime Minister informed the court that the government had constituted a cabinet committee on enforced disappearances and so far, its six meetings were held, promising the court that he would monitor every meeting of the committee and submit a report. 'I will not give any lame excuses,' said the premier to the court.

Despite these assurances, our expectations from the government regarding the issue of missing persons are low, considering past conduct. The solution the government has presented, of a cabinet committee on enforced disappearances which would then submit a report, is a tried and failed strategy that does not match the gravity of this human rights issue. Committees have been formed, and reports have been promised to be released in the past, with no result. In October 2018, the then-Prime Minister ordered the officials concerned to submit a 'complete report' on the whereabouts of Mudassar Naaru, who had been missing since August. A JIT was formed, but its verdict was inadequate, with the...