The Amnesty International on November 22 urged Pakistani authorities to stop forcibly disappearing suspected militants for years without trial, calling the practice abhorrent, reports Dawn. In a report entitled “Living Ghosts”, the rights group describes the difficulties faced by the families of the disappeared in obtaining information about their detained relatives. It says that since the beginning of the United States-led war on terror, hundreds of Pakistani rights defenders, activists, students and journalists have gone missing. “Enforced disappearance is a cruel practice that has caused indelible pain to hundreds of families in Pakistan over the past two decades. On top of the untold anguish of losing a loved one and having no idea of their whereabouts or safety, families endure other long-term effects, including ill-health and financial problems”, said Rehab Mahamoor, Amnesty International’s acting South Asia researcher. She asked Pakistan to disclose the fate and whereabouts of all the disappeared to their families, and release those still being held. The group also urged officials linked to such enforced disappearances to be put on trial.