QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on Tuesday the issue of missing persons had long been used as a propaganda tool against the state, adding that his government had now put in place a comprehensive legal framework to address the matter on a permanent basis. Presiding over the 22nd meeting of the provincial cabinet at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Mr Bugti said that despite similar or higher numbers of such cases in other provinces, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the issue in Balochistan had been politically exploited for years without any serious effort to find a lasting solution. The chief minister stressed that from Feb 1 onw­ards, no enforced disappearance would take place under the authority of the state or the government. He maintained that the new legislation would help dispel allegations of enforced disappearances and counter negative propaganda directed at Pakistan. The chief minister said that security forces in Balochistan often operate in grey zones and conduct intelligence-based operations where suspects are detained for investigation. However, he added, the new legal framework would ensure transparency and accountability. Balochistan cabinet okays detention rules, witness protection bill Mr Bugti clarified that if individuals were abducted by terrorist groups or went into hiding on their own, the responsibility could not be attributed to the state. He noted that courts and relevant commissions already existed to examine claims of enforced disappearance, but allegations were often amplified without verification to fuel anti-state narratives. To address this, the cabinet approved the rules for the Balochistan Prevention of Detention and De-radicalisation Act, 2025. Under the law, designated centres have been established where suspects will be investigated under the supervision of authorised police officers, along with counselling aimed at countering extremism and anti-state indoctrination. Families of those under investigation will be informed within 24 hours, allowed visitation and provided medical facilities. No individual will be shifted outside these centres. During the meeting, the provincial cabinet also approved the Balochistan Witness Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2025. Mr Bugti said that in the past, the absence of an effective witness protection mechanism had led to extremely low conviction rates in terrorism and serious criminal cases. Under the new reforms, witnesses will testify through faceless courts, with their identities kept fully confidential, a measure expected to significantly improve convictions. The cabinet expressed satisfaction over merit-based recruitments conducted through online testing in the Finance Department and decided to gradually digitalise recruitment processes across all provincial departments. Among other decisions, the cabinet approved the abolition of the Religious Affairs Department, with staff to be adjusted in other departments, the creation of two new divisions (Pishin and Koh-i-Suleman), administrative realignment of Ziarat with Loralai, and the establishment of Municipal Committee Karbala in Pishin district. The cabinet also approved policies related to the evaluation of law officers, amendments to grant-in-aid rules for minority affairs, measures to curb child labour, the declaration of higher technical education as an essential service and verification of academic credentials of contract teachers. The chief minister directed the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team to initiate verification of degrees, warning that FIRs would be registered against holders of fake credentials, starting from Nasirabad and Dera Bugti. Education-related decisions included adopting the national curriculum as part of the provincial syllabus from the academic year 2026-27, launching the Chief Minister Academic Excellence Programme and hiring ad-hoc teachers for mathematics, science and English at middle, high and higher secondary levels. In the social sector, the cabinet approved the Balochistan Protection and Promotion of Reproductive Health Rights Bill, 2026, aimed at improving maternal and child health, expanding access to family planning services and safeguarding basic reproductive health rights. Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2026