Former Pak Minister Mazari reveals ISI HQ called her over missing persons bill

Amid protests across the world against enforced disappearances at the behest of Pakistan's security agencies, especially by the spy agency Inter-services Intelligence (ISI), the country's former human rights minister Shireen Mazari in a revelation said she was asked to appear at ISI headquarters over a bill pertaining to the issue.

Mazari said that though the bill was tabled in the National Assembly, the interior committee - which she referred to as "invisible shadows" - tried to change the bill.

She added that the amendments passed by the NA "disappeared" on the way to the senate. Mazari said that she went to the ISI HQ and informed the spy agency of the steps taken by her in order to prevent the forced disappearances.

"That evening I got a phone call asking me to appear at the ISI headquarters ... I went and I said that we had signed international conventions," she said during her address.

In witty exploitation of words, she added that she would reveal all these details if and when she wrote a book, reported Daily Times.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader also backed the former Prime Minister Imran Khan and said that the latter had also voiced his opposition against enforced disappearance from the beginning.

She made these revelations while speaking to the media at the National Press Club in Islamabad.

"We have also taken a position against this in our manifesto and will take the same position in the next one. But you know there are so many powers that stop bills [from being passed]," she said.

During her address to the media, Mazari also noted that the journalist protection bill was also passed with "great difficulty". "You don't know how it was passed, what obstacles we faced," she said, as per the media outlet.

She also made comments upon her recent arrest by the anti-corruption establishment (ACE) Punjab and Islamabad police in a joint action on the orders of Punjab CM Hamza Shahbaz.

The former minister said, "My daughter was upset as her mother had disappeared. She did a press conference where she took the name of General Bajwa and used a certain word. Now petitions and FIRs are being filed, saying she is against the national interest and that it is terrorism." She termed her arrest as a case of "kidnapping and disappearance".

( With inputs from ANI )

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