The Supreme Court of Pakistan expressed frustration over the protracted issue of missing persons, with Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail saying the government could have resolved the issue if it so wished. The court was hearing a case related to missing persons when the Additional Attorney General informed the court about the government’s decision to appoint Justice (retired) Faqir Muhammad Khokhar as the new head of the Missing Persons Commission, replacing Justice (retired) Javed Iqbal, Express News reported. The Attorney General also mentioned that the government intends to establish a tribunal for missing persons through new legislation. In response, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar noted that such legislation would be necessary to establish the tribunal. The Attorney General said a cabinet committee is working on the legislative process and is asking for a timetable for its completion. However, Justice Mandokhail pointed out that the law already exists and said it is a crime to make someone disappear. He emphasized that if a crime had been committed, a trial should be held and if no crime had been committed, the person should be released. The court was told that the government wanted to systematically deal with the problem of missing persons, but Justice Mandokhail responded by saying that if the government really wanted to deal with the issue, it would have already been resolved. Further, Justice Hassan Rizvi questioned how many missing persons were found by the commission and whether the individuals who were found were disclosing their whereabouts. The Secretary of the Commission for Missing Persons explained that the persons who were found did not say where they were. Justice Masarat Hilali called for new legislation specifically for missing persons, and Justice Mandokhail concluded by saying: “We can only hope that the government will solve the problem. We cannot command Parliament to legislate on this matter.” The court then adjourned the proceedings indefinitely and left the issue unresolved.
