ISLAMABAD – The federal government of Pakistan has introduced major reforms to the missing persons commission to strengthen its role in addressing enforced disappearances.
Justice (R) Syed Arshad Hussain Shah has been appointed as the new chairman of the inquiry commission. According to official figures, the body has received 10,607 cases of enforced disappearances to date. Out of these, 8,770 have been resolved, showing an 82 percent resolution rate as of 31 July 2025.
In July alone, the chairman resolved 70 cases, while 15 new complaints were registered. The commission continues to focus on enforced disappearances, a long-standing human rights concern in Pakistan.
The government has also begun implementing a financial assistance package worth Rs 5 million for families of victims. Justice (R) Arshad Hussain Shah presided over two meetings to review and process these aid cases.
In recent structural changes, Justice (R) Nazar Akbar has been appointed as a member from Sindh, while Muhammad Bashir will represent Islamabad. Justice (R) Syed Afsar Shah has been named as the member for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
To improve efficiency, the commission has called for a uniform national policy to address such cases swiftly. The chairman also visited Lahore and Karachi, hearing over 50 cases. During these visits, he met with home secretaries and police chiefs from all provinces, urging timely reports from joint investigative teams in each province and Azad Kashmir.
Earlier, the National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee (NJPMC) expressed concern over enforced disappearances. The 53rd NJPMC meeting, chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mr Justice Yahya Afridi, reaffirmed the judiciary’s commitment to safeguarding constitutional rights. The meeting was attended by the chief justices of all High Courts, along with the Additional Attorney General for Pakistan.
These reforms aim to strengthen accountability and ensure that cases of missing persons are addressed more effectively across the country.
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