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Pakistan Human Rights Activist Missing For Over A Week


Pakistani human rights activist Idris Khattak (file photo)
Pakistani human rights activist Idris Khattak (file photo)

A Pakistani human rights activist who was working on cases of human rights violations has been missing for more than a week.

Idris Khattak disappeared last week while traveling with his driver to the Swab district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, his family said on November 20.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) watchdog has voiced concern, saying it was a "possibly enforced disappearance."

"It has now been a week since human rights defender and political activist Idris Khattak was abducted, allegedly by unidentified persons in the Swab district," the HRCP said in a tweet on November 20.

Idris Khattak, a resident of the Nowshera district in northwestern Pakistan, worked for Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International (AI).

There was no comment from Pakistani authorities, but Iqbal Afridi, a lawmaker from the ruling Tehirk-e-Insaaf party told RFE/RL that Pakistani security forces "never pick people up without a reason," adding that Khattak will probably be freed if there are no charges against him.

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