Recovery of missing persons: IHC directs Cabinet to formulate mechanism

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed the federal cabinet to formulate a mechanism regarding the recovery of missing persons.

A larger bench headed by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and comprising Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri and Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, on Thursday, heard the missing persons’ petitions. The IHC Chief Justice has constituted the larger bench to conduct hearing of the cases related to missing persons.

The bench also summoned the committee comprising officers of the three agencies including Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) for separate in-camera briefing of all the cases.

The committee tasked with investigating the cases of missing persons consist of Brigadier Shamsher, Brigadier Usman and Joint Director General of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) Qazi Jamilur Rehman.

During the hearing, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani remarked during the hearing that there is a need to devise an effective policy to solve the issue of enforced disappearances. He directed the Ministry of Defence and intelligence institutions to prepare policies and mechanisms and submit them to the federal government to facilitate the recovery of missing persons.

Additional Attorney General (AAG) informed the bench that 80 percent cases of missing persons have been resolved. However, Justice Kayani raised the question that what had happened to these people and their families. He stated that solution of this issue is responsibility of the state as it is responsible to protect the rights of the people.

Advocate Imaan Mazari told the court that 187 people have been forcibly disappeared since August alone. She added that people are being detained illegally in Balochistan as well.

At this, Justice Kayani mentioned the press conference of Adeela Baloch, saying that it is also a fact. He ordered that cheques of rupees five million be brought for the families of those who have been declared enforced disappearances by the Commission.

Addressing the Additional Attorney General, he said that if you do not believe in the ATC, then they should establish military courts. The judge remarked that missing persons have become a reality and the situation in Balochistan is an alarm bell for us. He further said that in the current situation, more than 300 soldiers of the army and security agencies have been martyred.

He remarked that the army or the security agencies could not be blamed in this situation but a method has to be adopted.

Later, the court directed the investigation committee comprising sensitive agencies to give a full briefing in the upcoming in-camera hearing while it also expressed serious concerns over the performance of the missing persons’ commission. The hearing is deferred until next Thursday.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024