The Balochistan government has issued a stern directive requiring families to report within seven days if any relative goes missing or joins a proscribed militant organisation, warning that failure to do so will render them liable as facilitators under anti-terrorism laws.
According to a notification issued by the provincial Home Department, all parents, guardians, and household heads have been instructed to immediately inform the nearest police station as well as the relevant Frontier Corps (FC) or Army unit if a family member disappears or is suspected of associating with non-state actors or terrorist groups.
The directive further stated that families whose members are already missing must also provide complete details to the authorities within seven days. This obligation is enforceable under Sections 118 and 202 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), read with Section 11-EEE of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
For individuals already found to have joined terrorist organisations, their parents or legal guardians are required to submit a sworn affidavit of disassociation within a week. In ongoing cases, the affidavit must also be filed within seven days. The directive cited Sections 120 and 120-B of the PPC, along with Section 11-EEE of the Anti-Terrorism Act, as the legal basis for this requirement.
The government warned that in cases where families fail to notify authorities or to disassociate from a missing relative who is later found involved in terrorism, they will be considered facilitators or accomplices. Legal action will be initiated under Sections 107, 109 and 114 of the PPC, read with the Anti-Terrorism Act. Their names may also be placed on the Fourth Schedule, leading to strict surveillance and restrictions.
The Home Department underlined that the consequences for such facilitation will be severe, including confiscation of property, dismissal from government service, and the withdrawal of all state-provided financial benefits and welfare entitlements.
“This is a matter of collective responsibility. Families must ensure they fulfil their legal obligation to report or disassociate from relatives who join terrorist outfits. Those who fail will face the full force of the law,” the notification warned in unequivocal terms.
