SC declares report on Balochistan missing persons as 'unsatisfactory'

On Thursday, the Supreme Court declared that the “missing persons” report submitted by the Balochistan Police was “unsatisfactory”, directing law enforcement to recover the individuals in two weeks.

A three-member bench, comprising the Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, and Justice Faisal Arab, heard the case at the Supreme Court’s Quetta registry - with the top court having taken suo moto notice earlier, pertaining to these disappearances. Additional Chief Secretary Hafiz Basit, Balochistan MPA Qadir Nayal, and Senior Superintendent of Police Operations in Quetta Ghulam Asghar, were present in today’s hearing - making an argument that the police have yet to determine whether this is an abduction or missing persons case.

In a report submitted to the court, police said they had eyewitnesses on record, and clear identification of the vehicles in which the individuals were being taken - to which the investigators had written to the Excise and Taxation Department for additional information on the vehicles. The Chief Justice remarked, “it is the police’s job to visit the spot and conduct a thorough investigation” adding that “every other car in Quetta is a non-custom paid car. Aerial firing is being carried out. All this is being done under the nose of the police”.

The hearing of this case has been adjourned for four weeks, with the Inspector General of the Balochistan Police Mohsin Abbas set to appear at the next hearing at the Islamabad Supreme Court via video link.