GHULAM Hassan Lone was 26 when his family says he disappeared from Army custody in 1991. Ghulam Hassan, they say, made his living by selling shawls in villages and the money he earned was enough to keep the hearth burning.

It has been 16 years since he went missing, but the family has no clue of his whereabouts.

His uncle Abdul Rashid still shoots an occasional letter to politicians, human right groups or Army officers seeking their help in tracing him.

On July 11 in 1991, Lone was preparing to leave for work when troops of 18 Dogra cordoned off Gazriyal, the Lones' village, says the family. Lone's relatives say all the villagers were asked to come out of their houses for a search parade. "After a door-to-door search, the officer who was leading the search party asked Lone to accompany them," says Abdul Rashid. "He was taken to the Panzgam camp," he says, "We were sure about his innocence and were sure that he will be released."

Two days later, the Army again cordoned off the village, says the family. This time the troops did not search any house but instead procured villagers' signatures on a plain paper, say the Lones. The Armymen assured them that Ghulam Hassan will be releases in a day or two.

The family says they were sure of Ghulam Hassan's release that they did not even file a police complaint at first. When even after seven days Ghulam Hassan was not released, his father Abdul Karim went to Panzgam camp, says the family. At the camp, Army officers told Abdul Karim that his son had been released two days after his arrest.

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