Pak's Punjab province CM orders polygraph tests of children recovered from abduction

Pakistan's Punjab province Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday ordered polygraph tests of children recovered in kidnapping cases to verify the claims that they had in fact been kidnapped.

The decision was made after police briefed Sharif on a report about child abduction in the province, where the locals are campaigning against the recent surge in child disappearances, reports the Dawn.

According to what has been briefed to Sharif, 94 per cent of the 767 missing children have been recovered this year, most of whom, police claim left homes over domestic disputes and that they were not abducted.

The residents, however, say the region has recently witnessed a surge in incidents of disappearance and kidnapping of children.

The provincial government is now considering introducing a digital 'Child Abduction Alert System' for collection and dissemination of data on missing children, so that timely and appropriate action can be taken by the authorities.