Pakistan - Farhatullah Babar says commission on enforced disappearances failed to fix responsibility

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Senator Farhatullah Babar has said that during the past six years the commission on enforced disappearances had failed in fixing responsibility.

A meeting of human rights committee of the Senate was held on Monday to discuss the situation of missing persons, persecution and target killings of Hazaras and other human rights issues.

In a statement issued following the meeting, Senator Babar called for making the report of the commission — that worked under late Justice Mansoor Kamal for only one year in 2010— public.

Chaired by Senator Nasreen Jalil the meeting was attended by senators Sitara Ayaz, Dr Jahanzeb Jamaldini, Mir Kabir Shahi, Mufti Abdul Sattar and Farhatullah Babar.

Babar said complete information about the prisoners in 45 internment centre must be placed before the Senate committee so that it could proceed further in the matter. He further that those who had returned homes be encouraged to disclose before the committee with assurances of protection and confidentiality.

Alluding towards the disappearances during the reign of retired general Musharraf, he said the former military dictator had claimed in his biography that his government had captured 689 militants and handed over 369 to the US without trial for bounties totaling millions of dollars.

Musharraf’s show off about these disappearances and getting away with it had set a precedent and now some elements might think that they could get away with this impunity, he said, adding parliament should be informed about the details of those handed over by Musharraf to foreign countries without trial.