Hearing of missing persons’ case resumes today
ISLAMABAD (February 06 2007): A full bench of the Supreme Court (SC), headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, will resume hearing of the missing persons’ case on Tuesday.
The relatives of the missing persons have accused intelligence agencies of abducting their family members for alleged links with al Qaeda and various religious organisations.
The SC has already directed the government to expedite the recovery of missing persons because it was the government’s responsibility to locate the missing persons and inform their relatives about their whereabouts.
The SC has already sent notices to the Ministry of Interior and the attorney general and has sought a detailed report. The government has claimed that it has found 25 out of 41 missing persons so far.
Petitioner Amina Masud Janjua, whose husband Masood Janjua is also missing, claims that some 100 people have been reported missing by their relatives and many people released from the custody of intelligence agencies claimed to have seen the remaining persons’ in detention. On last hearing, the SC had expressed disappointment over the government’s failure to trace 18 persons who have been missing for many years, summoning the Attorney General to explain his position on February 6.
Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Nasir Saeed Sheikh had admitted that the government had not been able to locate the 18 persons. He said the government had sought the help of the Inter Services Intelligence, Military Intelligence and the Intelligence Bureau, besides approaching the jail authorities in Afghanistan, but to no avail.
The DAG was without any answer when the court inquired about the government’s response over the affidavits filed by those released persons who claim to have seen a number of ‘the missing’ in the ‘custody of intelligence agencies’. “Do not act like a mere post office,” the chief justice observed, adding that the performance of the DAG was ‘zero’ and summoned the Attorney General Makhdoom Ali Khan to answer the court queries.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:2/6/2007
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