PAKISTAN: Disappearances in Pakistani Kashmir need the attention of legislators 

There are reports that dozens of people are missing after their arrest by the intelligence agencies, operating in Pakistani held Kashmir, the Azad Kashmir. It is reported that the people were arrested when they left the Jihad (holy war) inside Indian held Kashmir or stopped providing information to the intelligence agencies about the movements of people across the borders of the Pakistan. The majority of the disappeared persons were residing along the control line, a border line between India and Pakistan, dividing disputed Kashmir, which stretches up to 350 kilo meters. The people residing along the control line are able to enter Indian Territory for their business and they were used by the intelligence agencies as their couriers.

The intelligence agencies particularly, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), is accused of training and sending people inside Indian held Kashmir for Jihad or providing information of militants working inside other part of Kashmir. The family members of the disappeared people are also stating that when people, who worked for intelligence agencies, leave the Jihad and return to their normal lives they are nabbed by the ISI and shifted to unknown places as punishment for not working in the interests of national security. There are also reports that some missing persons, who were sent to collect information from Indian Kashmir, were also hired for smuggling liquor and other Indian items when they come back to Pakistani Kashmir after completing their assignments.

During the past six months, the whereabouts of 15 people arrested by the security forces are not known. They were arrested by security persons in plain clothe from different parts of the Tehsil Kotli along the Indian borders. Among them are six persons who were trained in the camp at Solna village, Kotli and had left the holy war. The family members of Altaf, Qadeer, Qasim, Mushtaq, a resident of refugee camp at Solna area, Kotli, who were disappeared after their arrest by security forces, say that they were told by the local office of ISI that the persons are with them and will be released soon. However, to date no one has been released. The political parties, particularly the United Kashmir Peoples National Party (UKPNP), claim that the people were previously trained for holy war for across the border.

One person named of Sher Khan was killed in the month of November 2009 during his custody. He was involved in the abduction case of Rabia Saeed, the daughter of Mufti Saeed, former chief minister of Indian held Kashmir and was sentenced along with five persons in Sri Nagar. After his release he came to Pakistan and resided in the Solna area and was picked up, allegedly by the ISI, as was told to his family, and kept there for more than one year. In November his bullet riddled body was found in bushes.

Jehangir, son of Sabir, resident of Charhoi, Kotli sub district, was arrested by intelligence officers in March 2009, since then his whereabouts are unknown. A writ petition of habeas corpus was filed before the Azad Kashmir high court but there is still no news about him. His family was told after his arrest that he is in the local ISI office and will be released soon.

Amjad, son of Mohammad Khan, resident of Leepa tehsil, Muzafarabad district, was serving in the Pakistan army as soldier and was arrested in September 2009 by persons from the security forces, who introduced themselves as ISI, and since then his whereabouts are unknown. The reason of his disappearance is not known but it is generally said that it is because of his work in favour of families of disappeared persons. Once he also sent to other part of the Kashmir as Mujahid.

Mohammad Aslam, son of Jan Mohammad, resident of Cherhoi, Kotli sub district, was arrested in July 2009 and has been missing since. His family says that it was informed by the security personals that he is with ISI but he has never been allowed to meet his family.

Akram, son of Abdullah, resident of Khoi Ratta, Kotli district has also been missing for seven months. The security persons embarked at his house and identified themselves as personal from ISI. He previously worked for security forces providing information from Indian side of Kashmir about the working of militants inside Indian held Kashmir afterwards he left the volunteer job of informer for intelligence agencies.

Masood, resident of Khoi Ratta, Kotli district, has been missing since May 2009 after his arrest by the plain clothes persons, who informed the family that they were from ISI. He was previously Mujahid and was trained for holy war.

Mr. Kabir Hasan Shah, resident of Sandok, Neelum district, was whisked away in October 2009, allegedly by the ISI personnel and was kept incommunicado for more than three months on charges of making telephone calls from passing bye telephone able wire which belonged to ISI. He was released in the second week of January 2010 after severe torture. The officials of ISI have taken assurance from the family for his release he will not talk anybody on his disappearance. He did not know that the telephone cable was in the use of ISI. He used to talk with his girl friend through the line. He was an activist of United Kashmir Peoples National Party (UKPNP).

Mr. Naveed Ahmed Khan, another activist of UKPNP, was arrested in the month of November allegedly by the officials of ISI, on the accusation of taking photos of Jihadi training camps in Pallandi, Sudhanti district. He was kept in the custody of the ISI for more than two months and was interrogated for taking photos in the area where training camps are operative. He was released on January 19, after no pictures of the training camp were found in his possession.

Please see the list of 18 missing persons.

List of Disappeared peoples from Kotli Azad Kashmir Missing since 2007

Please also visit the following stories from BBC Urdu service which were compiled in 2007 and most of persons from the lists are still missing which were arrested by the intelligence agencies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

The disappearances by the state intelligence agencies have become a common phenomenon in Pakistan since the war on terror. The intelligence agencies enjoy impunity because of their direct link with Pakistan armed forces and no state institution or authority has the power to bring them before the law. The intelligence agencies have freedom to launch the Jihad in side neighbouring countries and for that reasons they hire members of the local population and send them for holy war in the name of Islam. In the province of NWFP, according to different human rights organizations, more than 1000 persons are missing and most of the families of the victims blame the intelligence agencies for arresting the persons and their disappearances. In Balochistan, where there is a strong nationalist movement, the people also blame Pakistani intelligence agencies for the disappearances of more than 4000 persons. Many persons from Balochistan province, who were kept incommunicado in military torture cells, testified before the courts that they were arrested by the ISI and military intelligence, the MI.

The Asian Human Rights Commission urges the parliament and its human rights committee to hold an inquiry in to the incidents of disappearances in the Azad Kashmir, the Pakistan part of the Kashmir, where people were used as the Muhajid (holy warriors) or informers by the intelligence agencies. It is shocking to know that when people leave the Jihad or stop working for intelligence agencies as informers they are arrested and kept incommunicado or disappeared. The government should prosecute those military officers who are responsible for disappearances of the folks.

The disappearances of these people and keeping them incommunicado were not only the gross violation of the law of the land and constitution of Pakistan but also the international norms and human rights charter to which Pakistan is a signatory. The AHRC urges the authorities to release all the persons who have been missing for many years after their arrest by the state intelligence agencies. The members of the parliament should also urge the government to provide lists of those people who were killed or disappeared after their arrest by the state intelligence agencies and work for the safe recovery of the disappeared.