The government has issued a gazette for the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Ordinance, 2025, which introduces provisions for the death penalty and life imprisonment for perpetrators of enforced disappearances.
The law, justice and parliamentary affairs ministry published the gazette for the ordinance on Monday night.
According to the law, the same penalties for senior law enforcement officers or commanders who order or approve an act of enforced disappearance.
Under the ordinance, district and divisional-level tribunals will be formed. Offences under this law are non-bailable and non-compoundable.
If any government employee or member of a law-enforcing agency arrests, detains, abducts, or otherwise deprives someone of their liberty and then denies the act, or conceals the person’s whereabouts, condition, or fate -- resulting in the individual being deprived of legal protection – such conduct will be considered an enforced disappearance and a punishable criminal offence, the ordinance said.The offender will face life imprisonment or up to 10 years in prison.
If an enforced disappearance results in the death of a person or if the person cannot be found alive or dead even after five years of disappearance, the responsible individual may face the death penalty or life imprisonment.
The law states that senior officers of disciplined forces will be held equally liable for enforced disappearance if they order, support, plan, ignore, or fail to prevent such crimes committed by their subordinates.
TF
