Islamabad:
Since its reconstruction, the commission of inquiry on forced disappearances (COODED) has resolved 8,770 – or 82% – of the 10,607 cases of alleged forced disappearance it has received.
In July, after the judge (RETD) Syed Arshad Hussain Shah took office, the commission resolved 70 cases and recorded 15 new complaints, a statement published by the Commission said on Friday.
The federal government has reconstructed the Commission, appointing justice (RETD) Syed Arshad Hussain Shah, the former chief judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal of Gilgit-Baltistan, as president.
Judge (RETD) Nazar Akbar was appointed member (Sindh); Retirement judge Muhammad Bashir as a member (Islamabad) and judge (RETD) Syed AFSAR Shah were appointed member (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) to manage cases of alleged disappearances applied in the province.
The judge (IDD) was a judge at the High Court of the Sindh; Bashir was a judge of the Islamabad Court of Responsibility, the Court and the Justice (RETD) Shah was a judge at the High Court of Peshawar.
According to the press release, the commission also implemented the federal government’s financial assistance package of 5 million rupees for families of missing persons. The president chaired two meetings to present recommendations to the government concerning these cases of financial assistance.
The Commission underlined the need for a uniform policy to investigate and quickly resolve cases of disappearance. The president also realized Lahore and Karachi to work on regulations aimed at preventing disappearances, hearing more than 50 cases in these cities.
