Missing persons bill gone ‘missing’, admits Minister Shireen Mazari

Human Rights Minister Dr Shireen Mazari revealed that a bill about enforced disappearances in the country, which was recently passed by the National Assembly (NA), had gone “missing”.

Speaking at a press conference Mazari said: “We had prepared the bill regarding missing persons and it was passed by the [relevant] standing committee and the National Assembly. But it went missing after it was sent to the Senate.”

The minister said there were reports, however, that the bill was now at the Senate Secretariat.

The bill, Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2021, was passed by the NA on November 8, 2021, and is aimed at making amendments to the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Code of Criminal Procedure.

It was introduced in the National Assembly by the interior minister in June 2021.