QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti on Tuesday said the issue of missing persons in the province had been “resolved on a permanent basis” following decisions taken by the provincial cabinet.
In a post on X after chairing the cabinet meeting, the chief minister said the matter had long been politicised, with allegations levelled against the state and the issue used for political gain.
“The issue of missing persons in Balochistan has been resolved on a permanent basis. Various people only played politics on the issue, blamed the state and tried to secure votes. We have resolved it for the first time,” Bugti said.
He added that law enforcement agencies would now operate within a defined legal framework to investigate suspects, and that the state could no longer be accused of enforced disappearances.
According to a statement issued by a Balochistan government spokesperson, suspects will be interrogated at designated interrogation centres under the supervision of authorised police officers. The spokesperson said family members of suspects would be allowed to meet them.
The cabinet decision was taken during the 22nd provincial cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bugti. The cabinet approved the Balochistan Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism Rules 2025, which officials said include comprehensive provisions for the investigation of suspects and the protection of witnesses.
Addressing the meeting, the chief minister said several political groups had used the missing persons issue as propaganda, but the government had now put an end to such narratives through legal and institutional measures. He said legal proceedings in such cases would be strengthened and protection would be provided to witnesses and complainants in terrorism-related cases.
The cabinet also approved the Balochistan Prevention Detention and Radicalization Rules 2025.
In other decisions, the cabinet endorsed the creation of two new administrative divisions, Pishin and Koh-e-Suleiman, as part of efforts to improve governance and administrative efficiency. Under the new arrangement, Ziarat will be placed administratively under the Loralai division.
The cabinet approved the establishment of a Municipal Committee Karbala in Pishin district and finalised an evaluation policy for law officers.
To address child protection concerns, the cabinet decided that no child under the age of 16 would be subjected to forced labour.
The cabinet also approved a policy to verify the educational credentials of contract teachers, assigning the chief minister’s inspection team responsibility for degree verification. The chief minister directed that first information reports would be registered against individuals found to hold fake degrees, with the verification process to begin in Nasirabad and Dera Bugti.
In addition, the cabinet welcomed the introduction of merit-based recruitment through online testing in the finance department and decided to extend digital recruitment processes to all provincial departments. It also approved the abolition of the Department of Religious Affairs, with its employees to be absorbed into other departments.
