Govt announces Rs5 million support package for families of missing persons

WEB DESK: The government has unveiled a financial support package of Rs5 million per family to aid the heirs of missing persons, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar announced on Friday.

This decision, revealed during a press briefing on the federal cabinet’s meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, follows recommendations from previous committees addressing the issue.

Tarar highlighted that two reports concerning missing persons were presented during the meeting. In response, the cabinet approved the formation of a special committee tasked with assessing and supporting families in genuine need, based on the final report of previous committees.

This new committee is set to address the challenges faced by families of the missing.

According to Geo News, the assistance is intended not as compensation but as a gesture of solidarity with the families affected by enforced disappearances.

The law minister emphasised that while there are complex reasons behind the issue of missing persons, the government has taken stringent measures to address it, with many cases resolved through the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED).

According to Tarar, approximately 23 per cent of cases remain unresolved, with COIED handling about 10,200 cases, of which 8,000 have been addressed.

The Supreme Court’s inquiry commission reported that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has the highest number of missing persons at 3,485, with drone attacks and militancy being major causes. Balochistan follows with 2,752 cases, partly due to people fleeing the province.

This announcement coincides with the Baloch Yakjehti Committee’s decision to end their sit-in in Gwadar, following successful negotiations with the local administration.

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