ISLAMABAD: The federal government has formed a special committee to provide legal assistance to the families of missing persons, particularly in cases currently under review by the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIOED).
According to an official statement issued Friday, the body will extend support to families facing hurdles in family law matters, including problems with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) related to the issuance of CNICs and Form-B.
Families can submit grievances in writing to the committee via email (coioed@gmail.com) or WhatsApp (0321-5101070), followed by hard copy submissions. They may also visit COIOED’s Assistant Registrar, Saadia Rashid, at the Directorate General Civil Defence Building in Islamabad on working days.
The COIOED, established in 2011, investigates enforced disappearance cases and determines responsibility. In the first half of 2025 alone, 125 new cases were registered. Overall, the commission has received 10,592 cases up to June 2025, out of which 1,914 have been disposed of and 6,786 traced.
The announcement comes a day after Supreme Court Justice Athar Minallah highlighted the judiciary’s struggle in enforced disappearance cases, citing lack of cooperation from state institutions and lawmakers.
Last year, the government announced a Rs5 million support package per family of missing persons, covering both financial and legal assistance.
