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Commission Reports 14 Missing Persons Return Home, 84% Cases Disposed Since 2011
Pakistan’s Missing Persons Commission says 14 people returned home in Sept. Since 2011, 10,636 cases received — 84% disposed, 1,650 still under probe. Calls for stronger legal, parliamentary action continue.
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by Muhammad Hashir
2025-10-03
Commission Reports 14 Missing Persons Return Home, 84% Cases Disposed Since 2011

The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances has reported that 14 missing persons returned home during the past month. According to its latest report, the commission has received a total of 10,636 cases since March 2011, of which 8,986 have been disposed of, while 1,650 remain under investigation.

The commission stated that the disposal of cases “works out to be 84.48 per cent consequent to the investigation of cases.” Between July and September 2025, the body disposed of 289 cases — averaging about 96 per month.

The commission also noted steps taken to support families of missing persons, including the establishment of a dedicated welfare cell. The cell assists with matters such as the issuance of Form B for children of missing persons and ensuring pension grants for families where the disappeared individuals were government employees.

Despite these developments, civil society continues to press the government for deeper reforms. Last month, a civil society organisation urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to “re-evaluate the entire mechanism for resolving the issue of enforced disappearances.”

Calls for stronger legal action have also come from international and judicial quarters. In August 2024, the United Nations urged Pakistan to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, while also recommending increased resources to prevent and address disappearances, particularly among ethnic minorities.

In December 2024, a Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court stressed that only parliament holds the authority to resolve the “longstanding yet unlawful practice” of enforced disappearances. The court called on lawmakers to establish clear legislation to permanently address the issue.

The commission’s latest report highlights both progress in tracing missing persons and the persistent challenges that remain, underscoring the need for institutional and legal reforms to address enforced disappearances in Pakistan.
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