Pakistan government nods trial of abductors in missing person cases under PPC

The new PTI-led government has decided that those involved in kidnapping citizens will be tried under the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Prime Minister Imran Khan announced this decision at a meeting on human rights at the PM Office (PMO).
A press release issued by the PMO said the government had decided to amend the PPC in order to criminalise any attempt by an individual or organisation to make someone disappear by force.
“After the decision, those involved in abducting citizens will be tried in civil courts,” Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told media after the meeting.
Meeting chaired by prime minister decides that enforced disappearance to be criminalised through amendments to Pakistan Penal Code
The issue of missing persons and enforced disappearance had been a challenging task for previous governments as the list of missing persons continued to swell.
People living in conflict-ridden tribal areas, Balochistan and Karachi and many Shia Muslim families have been complaining about enforced disappearances.
The Pakistan Peoples Party has taken a firm stand on the issue and raised it time and again. It is believed that missing persons have been picked by intelligence agencies and, thus, they have not been allowed to defend themselves in a court of law.
On July 12 last year the Islamabad High Court (IHC) defined the concept of enforced disappearance and declared that individuals involved in abducting and detaining citizens at unknown locations might be charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act.