Joint Statement by Defence of Human Rights, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Advocacy Forum-Nepal, CVSJ, Asian Federation Against Involuntary & Enforced Disappearances (AFAD), Baloch Voice for Justice, Baloch Yakjeeti Committee (BYC), Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR), CAGE UK, FIND Philippines, Families of the Disappeared (FOD), Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), International Coalition against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED), Jonas Burgos Movement, KontraS, Karapatan Desaparecidos (Families of the Disappeared for Justice), Latin American Federation of Associations for Relatives of the Detained-Disappeared (FEDEFAM), Odhikar and Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh.
20 Years On the Disappearance of Masood Janjua and Faisal Faraz, and the Unyielding Struggle for Truth and Justice
30th July 2025 marks twenty years since Masood Ahmed Janjua and Faisal Faraz were forcibly disappeared in Pakistan two decades of silence, anguish, and unanswered questions. Today, we, the undersigned human rights organizations, stand in solemn reflection and renewed solidarity with their families, who have refused to surrender to despair. This day is not only a tribute to their absence but it is a powerful reminder of the unyielding courage and dignity of those left behind, who have turned pain into resistance and silence into advocacy.
On 30 July 2005, Masood Janjua an educator, entrepreneur, and father from Rawalpindi along with his friend Faisal Faraz, an engineer from Lahore, disappeared while traveling to Peshawar. Since then, no credible explanation has ever been offered by the authorities. Despite compelling eyewitness testimonies, including from Dr. Imran Munir (himself a former disappeared person), and a public statement by Member of National Assembly Abid Raza Kotla confirming Masood’s detention in a secret facility, the state has refused to acknowledge the truth. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
In 2006, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took up the case on suo moto notice, marking the first judicial acknowledgment of enforced disappearances in the country. What followed was an unprecedented legal and human rights struggle led by Amina Masood Janjua, Masood’s wife. Her personal grief gave birth to Defence of Human Rights (DHR), a nationwide movement that has registered over 3,500 cases of enforced disappearance. Despite her filing over 750 legal petitions, justice continues to be delayed, deflected, and denied.
In 2018, Masood and Faisal’s cases were quietly transferred from the Supreme Court to the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CoIoED) a body that has consistently failed to hold perpetrators accountable. In 2023, Constitution Petition No. 50 was accepted once again by the Supreme Court, but it remains pending with only symbolic hearings taking place. When Amina requested a videolink testimony from a key witness, she was met with a chilling response from then-Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali: “How far can we go for your case?” Such statements underscore the systemic impunity embedded in Pakistan’s handling of enforced disappearances.
Masood and Faisal’s disappearance was not an isolated incident. It marked the beginning of a devastating and expanding pattern of state-sanctioned abductions across Pakistan. Their case became the face of a growing movement. As of July 2025, the CoIoED has registered 10,592 cases, with 125 new reports in just the first half of this year alone, a clear sign that the crisis continues, unabated.
The international community has not been silent. During Pakistan’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in January 2023, 17 member states urged Pakistan to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED).
Our demands,
- Immediately sign, ratify, and implement the International Convention for Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED)
- Amend domestic law to criminalize enforced disappearance under the Pakistan Penal Code
- Conduct independent, impartial investigations into the disappearance of Masood Janjua and Faisal Faraz
- Prosecute those responsible, no matter their position or rank
- Ensure reparations, rehabilitation, and full support to all affected families
The personal toll on the Janjua and Faraz families has been immense, emotional, psychological, and financial. And yet, their resilience remains unbroken. Their children, now adults, carry forward the legacy of this twenty-year-long struggle. Their fight is no longer just about Masood and Faisal, it has become a symbol for every family shattered by this practice of disappearance, and for every citizen who believes in justice.
To the families of Masood and Faisal and to all those who continue to suffer the pain of forced disappearance we see you, we hear you, and we stand with you. Your dignity and endurance inspire human rights defenders across the world. Your struggle is not over and neither is our commitment.
As we mark 20 years of disappearance, we do not merely remember what was lost. We recommit to what must be reclaimed: truth, accountability, and human dignity.
Organisations Signed:
- Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
- Asian Federation Against Involuntary & Enforced Disappearances (AFAD), Philippines
- Advocacy Forum, Nepal
- Baloch Voice for Justice
- Baloch Yakjheti Committee (BYC)
- CAGE, UK
- Citizens Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR), Korea
- Defence of Human Rights (DHR), Pakistan
- Desaparecidos (Families of the Disappeared for Justice), Philippines
- Families of the Disappeared (FOD), Sri Lanka
- FIND, Philippines
- Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)
- International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED), Geneva
- Karapatan, Philippines
- KontraS, Indonesia
- Latin American Federation of Associations for Relatives of the Detained-Disappeared (FEDEFAM), Argentina
- Odhikar, Bangladesh
- Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh (VMPS), Pakistan
For the PDF version of this joint statement, click here
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