Missing persons issue used to defame Pakistan: Achakzai

QUETTA: Balochistan Caretaker Minister for Information Jan Achakzai on Wednesday said that protest for missing persons and banned outfits issues are just defaming the country.

Pakistan is being defamed in the name of missing persons and banned organisations, he said while addressing a press conference held at Quetta Press Club. He said that the commission’s report presented before the Supreme Court has exposed the propaganda regarding the missing persons.

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According to the report, there are 10,000 missing persons and out of them 8000 cases have been resolved. He said that 1,400 people are missing either because of kidnapping for ransom or due to family issues.

Jan Achakzai said that 2200 to 2700 missing persons have been recovered in Balochistan. He said that uproar about missing persons on social media has nothing to do with reality, adding that the issue of missing persons was used as a propaganda.

He further stated that there were more than 200 attacks reported in Balochistan last year, some people are also involved in these attacks. Jan said that innocent people cannot be involved in terrorist attacks. He said that people affiliated with banned outfits carry out attacks after getting training, national news agencies reported.

Jan Achakzai said that allegations were levelled regarding the arrest of people in Tonsa and other areas. The caretaker minister said that the issue of Baloch missing persons has been used as an organised campaign and some people’s motivation can also be used in election campaigns and other interests.

He said Mahrang Baloch is trying to become Malala Yousafzai. He also asked the journalists to get the data from the government before publishing news regarding the missing persons.

Meanwhile, Jan Achakzai said on Wednesday that the names of terrorists had also been included in the missing persons list in a bid to exert pressure on the state.

He said report filed before the Supreme Court says that 468 persons have been reported to be missing in Balochistan. He said that nationalist political parties were running election campaign on the plea of Mahrang Baloch. After filing report about missing persons in the Supreme Court of Pakistan the issue of missing persons should not be used for politics, said Achakzai.