ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed its dissatisfaction over lack of progress in recovering missing persons and summoned federal and provincial home ministers, home secretaries and inspectors general of police to appear before the court after two weeks. The court expressed alarm over the ever-worsening law and order situation in Balochistan and pointed out that Punjabis and Sindhis were also being killed there.
The court said that the security agencies were not above the law and warned that action would be taken against concerned IGs if an FIR was not registered on the application of the family of a disappeared person.
A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Javed Iqbal, and comprising Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmad and Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, heard the cases of the missing persons.
Justice Javed Iqbal observed that the court would take action against security agencies if evidence was found against them. He also said that the role of the foreign hand in Balochistan’s troubles could not be denied.
The court sought a comprehensive report from concerned IGs in the cases of Zakir Majid, Sami Ibrahim, Saifur Rehman Bangash and Mustafa Azam, who were allegedly picked up by spy agencies. The court also directed the Sindh IG to submit a report regarding the missing workers of the MQM on the next date of the hearing, scheduled in two weeks.
During the course of the recent proceedings of the court, the Chairperson of Defence of Human Rights, Amna Masood Janjua, informed the bench that the number of missing persons had increased from 311 to 347.
“With the efforts of the apex court, 211 persons have been recovered. However, the numbers of disappeared persons are increasing day by day,” Justice Javed Iqbal remarked.
Justice Raja Fayyaz asked why the government was not taking up the issue of missing persons in parliament and wondered whether it was scared of the spy agencies. The court also observed that parliament should legislate to combat militancy as well as arrest militants.
Earlier, the Balochistan IG submitted a report regarding disappeared persons. The report stated that the Commission of Enquiry on Enforced Disappearances had visited Quetta on April 4 where the cases of missing persons from Balochistan were heard. Representative of all stakeholders, including intelligence agencies, attended the proceedings of the commission.
“Because of the proceedings of the Inquiry Commission, the whereabouts of 17 missing persons, whose particulars were provided by their legal heirs, have been traced, and they have safely reached their homes,” the report stated. The report also mentioned that 53 additional cases of missing persons had been referred to the Joint Investigation Teams (JIT).
Taking notice of another case of a disappeared woman named Fatima, allegedly picked up by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) director, the court has summoned the Rawalpindi CPO on Friday.
The court also directed the Judicial Commission probing the missing persons’ case to give fair hearing to the heirs of the disappeared persons. The Commission is headed by Justice retired Kamal Alam Mansoor, and has two retired judges of High Courts as its members. The Commission held its first meeting in the interior ministry in May 2010. Selective relatives of the missing persons were asked to join the meeting.
