In Pakistan, the problem of missing people is complicated and frequently the focus of false information. A report released in August 2024 by the Pakistani government’s Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CoIED) states that as of August 2024, 10,311 cases of missing persons had been reported, 8,042 of which had been resolved.
According to the government, some organizations and international media frequently exaggerate and misrepresent the missing persons issue for political reasons. Many voluntary disappearances—including those in which people have gone into hiding without telling their families—are mistakenly classified as forced disappearances.
Recent developments have shown that some people who were reported missing were, in fact, engaged in terrorist activity.
