Enforced disappearance case: Officials, spy agencies put on notice

Increasing number of disappearances a matter of concern, judge observes.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday issued notices to two ministries, top officials of intelligence and police to submit their replies on a petition filed by the wife of a missing person by August 10.

The petition’s counsel argued before Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani that his client’s husband, Sajid Mehmood, was “abducted from their home in Sector F-10/1 amid circumstances which strongly suggests that this is a case of enforced disappearance”.

While making secretaries of interior and defence ministries, the Islamabad police chief, the Intelligence Bureau, the Inter-Service Intelligence Directorate, the Military Intelligence and the Shalimar Police Station in-charge as respondents, the petitioner alleged that “the frequency of enforced disappearances in the federal capital has risen sharply over the last few months and her husband was one of the many such victims”.

The petitioner’s counsel said that Mehmood, an engineer by profession and a father of three, was allegedly picked up by around eight men from his home on March 14.

He contended that some of the men were wearing black police uniform with the “No Fear” insignia on it while the others were in plain clothes.

The counsel said that the men, who had come in a land cruiser and two double cabin vehicle, searched the house for around 20 minutes and also took some of the family’s computers, important documents and property records with them.

“They even took away the keys and the registration book of the petitioner’s car,” the counsel claimed.

The incident happened at a time when the street was abuzz with people and it was witnessed by the neighbours, he said.

Multi-storey hotel case

Meanwhile, the IHC on Wednesday reserved a verdict on a petition challenging sealing of a multi-storey hotel on the Constitution Avenue.

On July 1, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) sealed the under-construction Grand Hyatt Hotel — owned by the BNP (Private) Limited — for various building and layout plan violations.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 4^th, 2016.