QUETTA  -  The Balochistan government on Thursday expressed deep disappointment over the con­tinued politicisation of the issue of missing persons. “The gov­ernment firmly advises against exploiting this sensitive matter for political gains,” a statement issued here said. The govern­ment’s statement comes in re­sponse to certain political par­ties who have raised the issue of missing persons in the lead-up to election campaigning, ac­cusing the government of being responsible for these disappear­ances. The government, in its statement, vehemently denied these allegations, asserting its unwavering commitment to lo­cating and rescuing all missing individuals. Furthermore, the government emphasised its ze­ro-tolerance policy towards the politicisation of this issue. The government, in the statement, highlighted that the missing persons issue was often exploit­ed as a “vote gainer” by political parties, becoming a contentious topic during election periods. However, the government clari­fies that it has not received any substantial complaints regard­ing missing persons thus far, it added. Moreover, the govern­ment exposed the propaganda surrounding the missing per­sons’ issue, attributing it to In­dia, the human rights industry, left-wing factions, and ethnic nationalists. The government, in its statement, asserted that this propaganda merely aimed to exert pressure on the current caretaker government and law enforcement agencies. The gov­ernment said that the last report of the Balochistan Missing Per­sons Commission (BMPC) found that a total of 9,231 complaints of missing persons had been received by the commission. Of these complaints, 5,574 cases had been solved and 3,743 miss­ing persons had been recovered, it added. According to the state­ment, the BMPC also found that 241 bodies of missing persons had been received, while 974 people were in custody and 616 people who had been declared missing, were currently jailed. As of November 30, 2022, there were 2,207 cases of missing per­sons, pending with the BMPC. These cases included multiple types of cases, including volun­tary disappearances, personal enmity, and absconders. “By is­suing this statement, the Balo­chistan government seeks to address the politicisation of the missing persons’ issue, urging all stakeholders to prioritise the well-being and safety of the af­fected individuals over political gains,” it added.