Reposted from Dawn.com | September 20, 2012 Story;
Also see: The News: UN team on missing persons arrives;
Also see DailyTimes.com.pk's Arrival of UN mission sparks outcry in National Assembly;
Express Tribune's Enforced disappearances: UN team visit causes panic among MPs;
DailyTimes.com.pk's A UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) mission

[The UN team] said that, according to the 1992 Declaration for Protection of All Persons Against Enforced Disappearances, no circumstances whatsoever, whether a threat of war, a state of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked to justify enforced disappearances.

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations working group on enforced disappearances delivered its initial findings Thursday as it concluded its 10-day visit to Pakistan.

The group has pressed the Pakistani government and judiciary to do more to tackle the problem of thousands of people who have allegedly been detained by law enforcement and intelligence agencies and remain missing.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad to mark the end of their visit, members of the working group acknowledged the government had taken steps to tackle the issue of enforced disappearances, but added that "serious challenges remain."

"We note that cases continue to be reported to national authorities, but there are controversies both on figures and on the nature of practice of enforced disappearances," observed Olivier de Frouville, chair of the working group.

To date, the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances still has more than 500 cases in its docket concerning the whole country, the UN expert added.

The UN experts said that, according to sources, there were 14,000 cases of "˜missing persons' in Balochistan. However, they added, the government claims there are less than 100 such cases.

Olivier de Frouville, and member, Osman El-Hajj said they acknowledged the security challenges being faced by Pakistan. However, the experts said that, according to the 1992 Declaration for Protection of All Persons Against Enforced Disappearances, no circumstances whatsoever, whether a threat of war, a state of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked to justify enforced disappearances.

Olivier de Frouville said there is acknowledgement that enforced disappearances have occurred and still occur in the country. He added that the group was invited by the Pakistani government.

At one point during the press conference, the working group also welcomed the role played by the judiciary to shed light on the phenomenon of enforced disappearances in Pakistan and to trace missing persons.

The UN experts further added that the analysis of the information received during and prior to the visit will be considered in the preparation of the report which will be presented to the Human Rights Council at a session in 2013.

The UN working group's visit was clouded by complaints from Pakistan's parliament members who claimed the group's presence was a violation of the country's sovereignty.

Several key institutions in Pakistan - including the Supreme Court, the military and the intelligence agency - refused to meet with the group. Their lack of cooperation raises questions about how much impact the group's visit will have.

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UN team on missing persons arrives

September 10, 2012: A United Nations working group on enforced or involuntary disappearances arrived in Pakistan on Sunday to evaluate the case of missing persons.

ISLAMABAD: A United Nations working group on enforced or involuntary disappearances arrived in Pakistan on Sunday to evaluate the case of missing persons.

While in Pakistan, the working group will gather information pertaining to missing persons' cases. It will meet government officials and families of missing persons and also visit all four provinces of the country.

The working group will present its findings to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR). The group will be in Pakistan from September 10 to 20 on the invitation of the government.

During the mission, the UN experts will gather information on cases of enforced disappearances pending before the working group. They will also study the measures adopted by the state to prevent and eradicate enforced disappearances, including issues related to truth, justice and reparation for the victims of enforced disappearances.

The working group will visit various parts of the country and meet state officials, both at the federal and provincial levels, as well as with representatives of civil society organisations, relatives of disappeared persons and representatives of relevant UN agencies.

The working group will be represented by Olivier de Frouville, the Chair-Rapporteur, and by Osman El-Hajjé, member. Independent experts will be accompanied by members of the Secretariat of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The group will hold a press conference at the end of the visit, on 20 September 2012, at 15.00 hours at the Marriott Hotel, in Islamabad. A final report on the mission will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in 2013.

The working group is comprised of five independent experts from all regions of the world. The Chair-Rapporteur is Olivier de Frouville (France) and the other members are Ariel Dulitzky (Argentina), Jasminka Dzumhur (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Osman El-Hajjé (Lebanon), and Jeremy Sarkin (South Africa).

The group was established by the UN Commission on Human Rights in 1980 to assist families in determining the fate and whereabouts of disappeared relatives. It endeavours to establish a channel of communication between the families and the governments concerned, to ensure that individual cases are investigated, with the objective of clarifying the whereabouts of persons who, having disappeared, are placed outside the protection of the law.

In view of the working group's humanitarian mandate, clarification occurs when the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person are clearly established. The group continues to address cases of disappearances until they are resolved. It also provides assistance in the implementation by states of the United Nations Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.