Govt forms special body to provide legal aid to missing persons’ families

The federal government on Friday constituted a special committee to provide legal aid to address the issues of families of missing persons, a press release said.

The committee aims to provide legal aid to those families whose cases are being investiged by the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIOED) in family law-related matters.

The commission was set up in 2011 to trace the missing persons and fix responsibility on the individuals or organisations responsible. In the first half of 2025, a total of 125 missing persons cases were submitted there.

“The families of missing persons having any such issue, especially relating to National Database and Registration Authority regarding issuance of Computerised National Identity Card/Form-B for various purposes, may submit their grievances, in writing, to the Special Committee through any mode of communication, including email (coioed@gmail.com) or WhatsApp (0321-5101070), followed by submission of hard copies,” the press release read.

It added that the families could also visit and meet COIOED Islamabad Assistant Registrar Saadia Rashid at the Directorate General Civil Defence Building on any working day for submission and discussion on their issues.

On Saturday, Supreme Court Justice Athar Minallah elaborated on the difficulties judges faced regarding cases of missing persons and enforced disappearances in the face of non-cooperation by the state and lawmakers.

The total number of cases received up by COIOED till June 2025 was 10,592, while 1,914 cases of them were disposed of and 6,786 were traced, according to the commission.

Last year, the government announced a Rs5 million “support package” per family of missing persons, which would provide them with legal and financial assistance as per the law minister.

from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/V79OG0q

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