Directives laid out by the Commission of the Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances must be followed, said the IGP.
A copy of the registered FIR’s must also be sent to the Commission of the Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances and the Punjab Home Department. The directive also warned that strict action will be taken if a complaint is received over the non-registration of FIR’s in missing persons’ cases.
The IGP said that no efforts should be spared over the missing persons issue and progress should be regularly discussed at JIT meetings. All regional and district police chiefs have received the directive.
Defence of Human Rights Pakistan Chairperson Amina Masood Janjua said that non-registration of FIR’s in missing person cases is a serious problem because police officers often hesitate from registering such cases.
“Sometimes, we have to stage sit-ins to force the police to register an FIR in larger cities. The situation is more concerning in the smaller districts where the police are even more reluctant,” she said.
She added that even if an FIR is registered, details of the applications are changed by officers who remove the suspects’ name and write that the victim was taken by unidentified persons.
