The court said that although there would be no interference in the designated role of the commission, it should not dissociate itself completely from the issue of disappeared people. -File Photo

ISLAMABAD The Supreme Court was informed on Monday that a three-member judicial commission headed by former SC judge Kamal Mansoor Alam had started work on cases of missing persons.

Additional Attorney General K.K. Agha told a three-judge bench comprising Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Mohammad Sair Ali and Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali that the interior ministry had already issued a notification about the appointment of members of the commission — Ms Nazeer Iqbal and Justice Fazlur Rehman (former high court judges).

The bench is hearing cases of a large number people missing since 2005.

Mr Agha said the commission's proceedings would be made public and former Balochistan High Court judge Fazlur Rehman would hold an inquiry in the province.

The additional AG, however, conceded that no missing person had been traced over the past few months because of lack of information.

The court said that although there would be no interference in the designated role of the commission, it should not dissociate itself completely from the issue of disappeared people. “Let the properly constituted commission complete its task,” the bench said.

Justice Iqbal said the government should focus on Balochistan which was the most burning issue of the day. “The situation in Balochistan is alarming and the issue of missing persons is vital for which the government has to take political steps,” he observed.

The court directed the foreign secretary to ask its mission in Thailand to take steps to get Pakistanis languishing in jails there released. The court asked the foreign secretary to submit a report in this regard within a fortnight.

The court asked Mrs Amina Masood Janjua, the chairperson of the Defence of Human Rights who has been campaigning for the release of missing persons, including her husband Masood Janjua, to comfort the families of missing persons. It observed that it was easy for the court to take extreme steps, but such action would not help to get the disappeared people recovered.

The court asked the government to place before the commission relevant record of the people who went missing during the Lal Masjid standoff in July 2007.