UNITED NATIONS — Pakistan on Thursday drew international attention to the deepening crisis of missing persons in conflict zones, particularly in India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, calling it a “silent crisis” that continues to inflict pain on thousands of families.
Speaking during a United Nations Security Council debate on the implementation of Resolution 2474—which addresses the issue of missing persons in armed conflict—Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, said the disappearance of individuals is an “unhealing wound” for countless families.
“The issue is especially severe in conflict areas and occupied territories, from Palestine to Kashmir,” the envoy stated. “These are fathers who never came home, mothers torn from their children, young boys taken in the dead of night, and daughters lost to silence. Their families are left in a cycle of hope and despair.”
Ambassador Asim stressed that despite ongoing appeals for accountability, the situation in Indian-held Kashmir continues to deteriorate. Since India’s unilateral revocation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, thousands of young Kashmiris have reportedly been detained or disappeared, with many still unaccounted for.
He also criticized the recent crackdown following a terrorist incident in Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was used as a pretext to detain over 2,000 people, intensifying the oppression of Kashmiris seeking their right to self-determination.
The ambassador highlighted the discovery of over 7,000 unmarked graves in the region, claiming that forensic investigations suggest many victims were abducted by Indian forces, tortured, and summarily executed. He condemned India’s refusal to conduct credible investigations into these graves and noted that two UN reports (2018 and 2019) by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) had recommended independent inquiries.
“The issue of enforced disappearances remains a grim and undeniable reality of the decades-long conflict in Kashmir,” Ambassador Asim asserted.
Turning to Gaza, the envoy said the humanitarian crisis there also underlines the toll of war on missing persons. Since October 2023, more than 14,000 Palestinians remain missing, many believed to be buried under the rubble of bombed homes.
Ambassador Asim called for urgent international action to trace missing persons, restore family links, and uphold human rights. He proposed that:
- All parties in armed conflicts must adhere to international humanitarian law, protect civilians, and ensure accountability for violations.
- Member states should enhance cooperation through legal aid and data sharing to trace the missing.
- Humanitarian organizations must be granted full access to conflict zones to aid families of the disappeared.
He concluded by stressing that unresolved conflicts must be addressed through peaceful resolution, as lasting peace is essential to ending the crisis of missing persons.
“We must act together to protect the dignity and rights of those affected by conflict and ensure that the missing are not forgotten,” he said.
The session also featured remarks by Khaled Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, who warned of an escalating global crisis of missing persons. He cited troubling trends in Ukraine, Myanmar, Syria, and Cyprus, where disappearances continue to cause deep suffering and unanswered questions for families and communities.
