A/HRC/WGEID/126/1 Standard procedure 99. Under its standard procedure, the Working Group transmitted 24 cases to the Government (see annex I). Application of the six-month rule 100. The Government provided information on 12 outstanding cases, on the basis of which the Working Group decided to apply the six-month rule. Information from the Government 101. On 6 January 2022, the Government transmitted information concerning 56 cases, but the information was considered insufficient to clarify the cases. Clarification based on information provided by the Government 102. On the basis of information previously provided by the Government, the Working Group decided to clarify six cases following the expiry of the period prescribed by the sixmonth rule.32 The cases concern Mirza Muhammad Mehdi, Syed Faraz Alam and Noor Alam Qamar, who are reportedly deceased; Masood Siddiqui Siddiqui and Muhammad Kamran Sheikh, who are reportedly in detention; and Waqar Manzoor, who is reportedly at liberty. Clarification based on information from sources 103. On the basis of information provided by sources, the Working Group decided to clarify the cases of Ehsan Arjemandi, Talal Ahmed, Suleman Farooq Chaudhri, Bakht Shah Zeb, Mano Din and Naimat Ullah, who were reportedly at liberty, and the case of Lalmar Khan, who had reportedly been the victim of an extrajudicial killing. “Other letter” 104. On 13 October 2021, the Working Group transmitted an “other letter” concerning the report of the Standing Committee on Interior on the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021, which contains a proposal for the introduction of amendments and additional clauses into the Bill, which would run contrary to the spirit and objectives of a law to criminalize enforced disappearances.33 Allegation letter 105. On 29 November 2021, the Working Group transmitted an allegation letter concerning the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021, codifying enforced disappearance as an autonomous crime in Pakistan, and the inclusion of clauses that run contrary to the spirit and objectives of a law to criminalize enforced disappearances. 34 Observation 106. The Working Group is concerned about a number of cases reviewed during the session, which were clarified based on information indicating that the victims had died while in custody, or shortly after their release as a result of ill-treatment during detention. In this sense, the Working Group reminds the Government of Pakistan of its obligations under the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance to, inter alia, further investigate the cases, bring the perpetrators to justice, provide adequate compensation to the family of the disappeared person and take all measures necessary to prevent similar cases from occurring in the future. 107. The Working Group also remains seized of the developments regarding the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021. It remains concerned at the inclusion of clauses that would run contrary to the spirit and objectives of a law to criminalize enforced disappearances in 32 33 34 A/HRC/WGEID/124/1, para. 77. See PAK 11/2021. See PAK 12/2021. 17