Repatriation of Pakistanis in jails abroad: Supreme Court dissatisfied with performance of ministries

The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction over performance of Interior and Foreign Affairs ministries, in connection with repatriation of Pakistanis languishing in different jails abroad. A two-member bench comprising Justice Javed Iqbal and Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk observed while hearing human right case on missing person.
The bench summoned the IGPs of Sindh and Punjab and Home Secretary Punjab on the next hearing. The court also ordered to reconstitute the missing person commissions within next two days.
Besides, the bench directed the additional secretaries of ministries of interior and foreign affairs to appear before the apex court on every hearing. During the course of hearing, Justice Javed Iqbal said in his remarks that global jails were running due to Pakistani prisoners particularly in Thailand where their acquittal is tied to a little fine payment, which could be managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The bench was told that less funding created financial constraints to address the issue, however, commission on the missing person report disclosed that as many as 14 Pakistanis were brought back to the country.
Deputy Attorney General told the bench that only 8 Pakistani were brought to the country from Afghanistan so far whereas a hundred people were still there. Justice Javed Iqbal observed that Lal Mosque's missing person case have become part of the history, adding that relatives of the missing person are restless.
One Zahida Perveen prayed before the bench to recover his son rather than offering compensation amount because she prefer her son to the money, on which IGP Islamabad told the court that her son case was being heard by the Islamabad High court where proceeding will start on June 30.
Justice Javed Iqbal observed that NGOs were exaggerating missing persons ratio in Balochistan contrary to facts, he added that some people who ran away from their homes after quarrelling, were also counted by the development sector as missing whereas they were earning money from labour in the mines of the province.
Justice Javed Iqbal said that court would not support militants because the country cannot afford militancy but he made it clear that law enforcement agencies are also not allowed to take extra judicial steps because nobody is above the law. The court adjourned the hearing till June 29.