Missing IT engineer: ‘Work doesn’t stop if one officer is on leave’

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) was informed on Friday that the Islamabad SP-Investigation, who heads a Joint-Investigation Team (JIT) probing the case of a software engineer missing from the capital, could not appear before the court since he was on leave.

The standing counsel and the Crime Investigation Agency DSP Bashir Ahmed Noon appeared before Justice Athar Minallah on Friday and explained that since the SP was on leave, he could not appear in person before the court.

Taking stern notice of the SP’s absence, Justice Minallah remarked, “Work doesn’t stop if one person is on leave.”

Petitioner Mahera Sajid’s counsel Umer Gilani contended that the performance of police could be gauged from the fact that incidences of disappearances have only increased in the capital since they had approached the court.

The DSP, however, replied that other members of the JIT, which include representatives of the intelligence agencies, were diligently continuing with investigations.

Justice Minallah directed the JIT to ensure a full-fledged investigation into the matter and that all suspects must be thoroughly investigated and the petitioners must also be given a hearing by the JIT and their grievances must be heard.

In the previous hearing, the IHC had ordered the head of the JIT to appear in person after the investigation officer of the case, Abdul Rasheed, disclosed that no progress could be made in tracing the whereabouts of the missing IT engineer.

Sajid Mehmood, the missing software engineer, had allegedly been abducted from his home in Sector F-10.

While expressing dissatisfaction with the police’s progress, Justice Minallah had directed the Islamabad Investigation SP to personally appear in court on next date of hearing and report on the progress of the JIT.

Following the hearing, the case was adjourned till January 27.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14^th, 2017.