ISLAMABAD, 2 January (IRIN) - The families of around 20 people who have 'disappeared' in Pakistan since 2001 have claimed that they were beaten by police as they demonstrated for the return of their relatives last week.

The protest, held on 28 December outside the military's General Head Quarters (GHQ) in Islamabad, was aimed at securing the release of people who have gone missing after being picked up by state agencies.

"We had planned a peaceful 'freedom walk' and simply wanted to hand over a letter at the GHQ," said Amina Masood Janjua, whose husband, Masood Janjua, has been missing since July 2005.

Amina Masood has spearheaded a campaign seeking the release of people arrested and detained by state agencies. All have religious leanings, but their families firmly deny they had any connection with militants.

The families claim the disappearances are part of the US 'war on terror'. The number of people going missing has been rising steadily, and includes members of the minority Muslim Shia community and journalists.

As a result of the disappearances, the families of 41 missing persons last year went to the country's Supreme Court which ordered the release of the 'disappeared'. Twenty people were freed following the court order.

Many of those released after months in captivity are warned not to speak about their ordeal. However, most say they were held at safe houses, subjected to interrogation and frequently tortured.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), which has been documenting data on disappearances over the past ten months, currently has the names of 400 missing persons on its records.

"We fear this could be only the tip of the iceberg. The exact number of 'disappeared' people is not known," HRCP Director I.A. Rehman told IRIN.

KH/JM/DS

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