‘No Data Available for Around 14,000 Names on Akhtar Mengal’s Missing Persons List’: Balochistan Interior Minister

QUETTA: Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langau has strongly criticised a list of missing persons presented by Sardar Akhtar Mengal, claiming that around 14,000 of the nearly 15,000 names on the list could not be verified due to a lack of basic identification data.

Speaking to a private television channel, Langau said Akhtar Mengal had submitted a list of around 15,000 allegedly missing persons in the National Assembly. However, he said the provincial government reviewed the list and found that a large number of names were not supported by complete or verifiable information.

“Akhtar Mengal submitted a list of 15,000 missing persons in the National Assembly, but when we investigated it, there was no data for around 14,000 people. Only names were provided; there were no CNIC numbers or home addresses,” Langau said.

The minister said merely listing a person’s name was not sufficient to officially classify someone as missing. He argued that identification details, residential information, family particulars and other basic data were necessary for relevant institutions to properly investigate a case and determine whether an individual was actually missing or absent for another reason.

Langau alleged that presenting unverified lists and figures could create public anxiety and mislead people. He stressed that the issue of missing persons was highly sensitive and should be discussed on the basis of facts and evidence rather than political considerations.

He said that whenever a person is reported missing, complete information should be provided to the relevant authorities so that the government and law-enforcement agencies can properly investigate the case.

According to the minister, presenting thousands of names without basic identification information complicates the issue rather than helping resolve it.

Government Says Missing Persons Issue Cannot Be Ignored

Langau said the Balochistan government was not ignoring the issue of missing persons and that every case should be examined according to the law and available records.

He acknowledged that when a family member is genuinely missing, the distress and suffering of the family is a reality, adding that state institutions have a responsibility to investigate such cases and establish the facts.

He said Balochistan faces complex challenges, including law-and-order problems, terrorism, armed violence and the sensitive border situation. Therefore, each missing-person case should be examined individually rather than being treated collectively.

The home minister warned against using unverified figures to create a sense of deprivation and distrust among the people of Balochistan. He said political leaders and other responsible stakeholders had a duty to provide accurate information instead of relying on emotional slogans.

He invited political leaders who possessed credible information about missing persons—including CNIC numbers, residential addresses, FIRs, case records or other verifiable documents—to present them before the relevant forums so that the government could investigate the cases.

Langau said the missing persons issue should not be reduced to political statements, figures and lists. Each individual case, he maintained, should be investigated on the basis of evidence, with accurate identification and complete information being essential to establishing the truth.

He further said that the people of Balochistan were politically aware and deserved access to accurate information.

The minister maintained that the province’s problems could not be resolved through allegations, unverified claims or political point-scoring, but through serious dialogue, transparent investigations, the rule of law and the provision of accurate information to the public.

He said the government was prepared to work with relevant institutions to establish facts in such cases. Families who believe a relative is missing, he added, should approach the relevant authorities and forums through the established procedures so that complaints can be registered and investigated.

Langau concluded that issues confronting the people of Balochistan should be addressed through practical measures rather than being used for political interests, stressing that the protection of every citizen’s life, property and fundamental rights remained important for the government.