Return of the ‘missing’

The recent release of 20 Baloch who had gone missing for several months will be welcomed for many reasons.

First, it is a blatant violation of human rights to whisk people away, circumventing the legal process. It is agonising for their families if their whereabouts are not disclosed.

Therefore the government is to be commended for arranging the release of some of them — although the number of the released is a drop in the ocean if the nationalists’ claim of 4,000 men having been picked up is to be believed.

Second, the tribesmen’s release should facilitate the success of the recently announced Balochistan package — especially if it is followed by more releases.

Trust deficit is often the major impediment in the path of conflict resolution.

Therefore the release of the missing people should reassure the aggrieved party that the government is committed to its pledge — especially as illegal detention is a major issue.

Third, this is the first step towards addressing the case of the disappeared. Hopefully the ‘missing’ others will also return home. It will save the Supreme Court a lot of hassle at a time when it has resumed the hearing of their cases.

Although the release of the 20 detainees is a step in the right direction, it is important that the matter be pursued further.

We do not know who picked up the men and why. Doubts have been cast on the role of the security agencies but as legal processes were not followed, one cannot identify those responsible with certainty.

Abduction by the security agencies amounts to arbitrary arrests by the government.

Can such illegal measures be allowed to escape the purview of the law, with scant notice being taken by officials?

Should not those responsible for such detention be held accountable for an act that has brought the government into disrepute?

If those who committed this crime are not brought to book, how would the grievances of those who were wronged be redressed? How will it be ensured that similar abductions are not repeated in future?...LINK