ISLAMABAD: The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIOED) announced its recording 379 new cases of missing persons in 2024, according to the latest figures released on Tuesday.
The commission, established in 2011 to investigate and resolve the issue of missing persons, revealed that it had processed a total of 427 cases during the same year. As of December 2024, the commission had received 10,467 cases, with 8,216 cases resolved. A total of 6,599 individuals were found, and 1,617 cases were closed.
The report further highlighted that 2,251 cases remained unresolved. Among the resolved cases, 4,613 individuals were returned to their families, 1,011 were placed in internment centers, 687 were incarcerated in prisons, and 288 were confirmed dead.
The commission’s monthly progress report for December 2024, released on January 1, revealed that 29 new cases were reported, while 44 cases were resolved. Of the resolved cases, 23 individuals were reunited with their families, five were placed in internment centers, four were incarcerated, and two bodies were discovered. Ten cases were found to be unrelated to enforced disappearances.
The issue of missing persons remains a contentious and unresolved matter in Pakistan. In December 2024, a Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court reaffirmed that only the Parliament has the authority to address the ongoing problem of enforced disappearances. Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, part of the six-judge bench, stated that it was the responsibility of Parliament to address the issue.
“The court has always recognized Parliament as the supreme body, and now it is for Parliament to prove it so,” Justice Mandokhail remarked.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, speaking earlier in April, emphasized that resolving the issue would not be an overnight process, but the government was committed to building consensus among all relevant stakeholders. He also pointed out that Pakistan had endured significant sacrifices as a frontline state in the war on terror over the past four decades, and this context should be considered when addressing the missing persons issue.
