People involved in enforced disappearances: Justice Kayani says there should be legislation to award death penalty

ISLAMABAD: Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, a judge of Islamabad High Court (IHC), Thursday, said that there should be legislation to award death penalty to those who are involved in enforced disappearances.

Justice Kayani made the remarks while hearing the petition of the wife of missing poet Ahmed Farhad for the recovery of her husband.

During the hearing, the judge said people are going missing who talk more about the missing persons, adding the poet was picked up for talking about missing persons and it is a shame because all the people know who is doing what.

SSP Operations Jameel Zafar and the petitioner’s counsels appeared before the court and informed that Ahmed Farhad went missing from his Islamabad home two days ago.

SSP Operations Jameel Zafar said that he had met with the wife of the missing person, and as far as he knew, he was picked up from outside the house but the license plate numbers are not readable due to the darkness.

He said the FIA is still working on tracing the vehicle numbers. He added that they have written to all the IGs across the country and also to all secret agencies to know the whereabouts of Farhad.

Zafar said that they have done geo-fencing and it would take some time as work on CDR is yet to be done.

Lawyer ImaanMazari said that they have written in their petition regarding the secret agency.

Justice Kayani asked the SSP whenever you write letters to these institutions, do you ever get any response? The SSP said frankly there was never a positive response.

Justice Kayani said he has full faith in the police but the problem that lies with the police is that the police investigation does not go ahead after a certain limit.

The public prosecutor said that those who were picked up came back saying that they went to Kaghan.

Justice Kayani said that the unknown persons have such an ability that they can let the person memorise a lesson in 24 hours.

He added that there should be a law having death penalty in the case of missing persons.

He hoped that such a law like the Missing Persons Act would be enacted.

He also said that the home secretary and the defence secretary are responsible for forced disappearances.

He continued that if necessary, he would summon the prime minister and if they do not take action against the kidnappers, they will be sent packing. He said that he had told the IG that if someone goes missing, the responsibility will be on him.

Later, he sought a report from the interior secretary on the next hearing and ordered that an officer of the Ministry of Defence should also appear and adjourned the hearing of the case till Monday.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024