Pakistan Army claims no involvement in Balochistan mass disappearance, says 'not every person missing is attributable to the state'

Asif Ghafoor, the Chief Spokesperson of Pakistan Armed Forces, on Friday said that not every person missing is attributable to Pakistan.

While speaking on the issue of enforced disappearances, Ghafoor also said that he met Amina Masood Janjua, Chairperson of Defence of Human Rights. Ghafoor also tweeted a picture of his meeting with Janjua. In addition, a picture of the statement:

"Not every person missing is attributable to state. Many are there as part of TTP in Afghanistan elsewhere or got killed fighting as part of TTP. Those with the state are under legal process,"  he wrote

Several human rights experts and activists have blamed Pakistan and its army for the disappearance of scores of people belonging to ethnic and religious communities, like the Baloch. The issue emerged recently after several billboards highlighting the plight of the people in Pakistan came up across the UK, which is currently hosting the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

The Baloch Republican Party and the World Baloch Organization took the initiative to distribute leaflets outside Lords in London on June 23 when the Pakistan cricket team played against South Africa. Also,  Pakistan Army Chief, Qamar Javed Bajwa was present at the match, along with Ghafoor, when the protests broke out. The protest also led to infuriated Pakistan cricket fans who tore down the posters and the banners put up by  Baloch activists, and shouted slogans like "Long live Pakistan Army."

Ghafoor met with the Chairperson of Defence of Human Rights Pakistan, Amina Masood Janjua when he made the statement on Thursday. Here's a video that Ghafoor tweeted:

Ghafoor claimed that the Chief of Army Staff, General Bajwa, has put forth a special cell at the General Headquarters (GHQ) to work towards the issue. 

"DG ISPR apprised her (Janjua) about the efforts that government and security forces are doing to facilitate them and address the issue for which judicial commission is working day and night. He also apprised her about special directions and constitution of special assistance cell at GHQ for assisting the process," the statement added. 

According to the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, an entity established by the Pakistani government, around 5,000 cases of enforced disappearances have been recorded since 2014, most of them remain unsolved. However, the numbers given by Independent, local and international human rights organizations say that as much as  20,000 people have reportedly been abducted from Balochistan only, out of which more than 2,500 have turned up dead as bullet-riddled bodies, bearing signs of extreme torture.