President Mahinda Rajapaksa has appointed two additional members to the advisory panel: India’s human rights activist Avdhash Kaushal and Pakistan’s legal expert and former caretaker Federal Law Minister Ahmer Bilal Soofi.
Ahmer Bilal Soofi, Founding Partner ABS & Co, has been appointed to provide legal guidance to the Commission in its investigation of alleged disappearances in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka. His role on the panel will involve advising on the legal framework governing investigations, reviewing procedural and human rights considerations, and assisting in evaluating the conduct of both the Sri Lankan armed forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the civil conflict.
Avdhash Kaushal, representing the Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK), a Dehradun-based NGO, confirmed receiving a direct invitation from President Rajapaksa to join the panel. Kaushal noted that over 20 Sri Lankans had previously attended human rights courses organized by his organization, highlighting a history of cross-border collaboration.
The advisory panel, initially composed of British lawyers Desmond de Silva and Geoffrey Nice and U.S. law professor David Crane, was formed on July 17 to assist the Presidential Commission. Following the panel’s expansion, it now comprises six members tasked with providing expertise to ensure that investigations into alleged enforced disappearances are conducted effectively, impartially, and in accordance with international human rights standards.
