Pakistan Lawyer Involved In Enforced Disappearances Cases Goes Missing

A lawyer known for pursuing cases of people allegedly kidnapped by the country’s security agencies was abducted from his residence, his family says.

Armed men in plainclothes overnight abducted Inamur Raheem, a retired colonel, from his house in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, his son Husnain Inam said on December 17.

Inam said a case has been registered but there was no progress so far.

He refused to speculate on who was responsible, but Pakistani security agencies are often blamed for such abductions targeting journalists, human rights defenders, and other activists.

In September, Pakistan's Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances reported that 2,228 individual cases remained unresolved.

Reports said Raheem, described as a vocal critic of security agencies, had reported being harassed by security agencies.

In recent years, he has represented several people detained by the country's spy agency.

The lawyer recently challenged the appointment of a retired general at the helm of the newly formed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority, according to the dpa news agency.

Based on reporting by dpa and AP