Still missing
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Editorial, The News International, Pakistan
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Relatives of the hundreds of persons still missing in the country have stepped up their campaign of protests to draw attention to the issue. Meanwhile, former president Pervez Musharraf's curious comment as to how these persons were in fact not missing at all but had gone off on their own to wage 'jihad' has been termed absurd by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. The ex-president's explanation does not cater for the failure of the 'disappeared' to communicate with families, something they would surely not neglect to do if they had gone away voluntarily, or for the fact that the vast majority of the missing are linked to Baloch nationalist groups who oppose religious extremism.
The restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry is of course the factor giving new zeal to groups representing the relatives of the missing. The CJ had, before his November 2007 suspension, observed most of these persons were in the hands of agencies. But the case is one that needs also to be taken heed of as an example of state abuse and the impact this has on citizens. Indeed in Balochistan, the issue of missing people gives rise to a great deal of the anger. For this reason the government needs also to step in, as its leaders had indeed promised they would do, and help unravel the mystery of the persons who vanished at various points in time. For families, the truth, no matter how hard it may be, would be easier to face than the constant uncertainty they today live with and which has compelled them once more to come onto the streets in the hope that their voice will finally be heard and an end put to their long ordeal.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Relatives of the hundreds of persons still missing in the country have stepped up their campaign of protests to draw attention to the issue. Meanwhile, former president Pervez Musharraf's curious comment as to how these persons were in fact not missing at all but had gone off on their own to wage 'jihad' has been termed absurd by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. The ex-president's explanation does not cater for the failure of the 'disappeared' to communicate with families, something they would surely not neglect to do if they had gone away voluntarily, or for the fact that the vast majority of the missing are linked to Baloch nationalist groups who oppose religious extremism.
The restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry is of course the factor giving new zeal to groups representing the relatives of the missing. The CJ had, before his November 2007 suspension, observed most of these persons were in the hands of agencies. But the case is one that needs also to be taken heed of as an example of state abuse and the impact this has on citizens. Indeed in Balochistan, the issue of missing people gives rise to a great deal of the anger. For this reason the government needs also to step in, as its leaders had indeed promised they would do, and help unravel the mystery of the persons who vanished at various points in time. For families, the truth, no matter how hard it may be, would be easier to face than the constant uncertainty they today live with and which has compelled them once more to come onto the streets in the hope that their voice will finally be heard and an end put to their long ordeal.
Labels: Agencies, America, Baluchistan, Human Rights, Missing Persons
posted @ 1:20 PM,
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