"Enforced Disappearances in Pakistan"

“My son was born seven months after my husband went missing…he has never met his father, he just looks at his pictures."
- Zahida Sharif

Ever since Pakistan joined the war on terror in 2001, citizens of Pakistan have noticed a dramatic increase in ‘enforced disappearances.’ Families of victims told Amnesty International that authorities forcibly enter their homes, and take whoever they are looking for without any explanation or reason. Victims include prominent members of society, including doctors, engineers, and journalists who speak out against the government. Students have also been prime targets as well. Families are not informed of what happens to their loved ones after the government takes them away. Sometimes bodies are not found until years later.

“Disappearances occur across the country but especially in Balochistan province in the Southwest, which faces violence from ethnic and religious armed groups and state security forces.” Please click on the picture to the right to watch a short video from Amnesty International.

A judicial Commission of Enquiry on enforced disappearances has failed to resolve the crisis or to hold the security forces and intelligence agencies accountable. There is a call for the prime minister to take action against this terrible crisis. I have raised this question before, and I’ll do it once again. What can one do when the very entity that is design to protect and serve are the ones committing gruesome crimes?