ISLAMABAD:
Intelligence agencies’ officials were issued notices by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in the case of a “missing” Hizbut Tahrir activist.
Muhammad Hanif filed a petition in the IHC seeking the recovery of his son, Osama Hanif, an activist of the banned outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT), who went missing on July 21.
Chief Justice of the IHC, Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman, issued notices to the director-general of the Inter-Services Intelligence, chief of the Military Intelligence and superintendent of police in the case.
The petitioner said that Osama, a telecom engineer and graduate of the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), went missing from sector G-11, Islamabad.
The defence counsel, Umer Hayat Sindhu, informed the court that law enforcement agencies had picked up his client without any reason while he was on his way to his office.
He argued that his client was never involved in any terror activities and his abduction is illegal. ‘’My client was not involved in any terrorist activity, nor was he wanted in any incident,” the lawyer said.
Sindhu claimed that his client approached the police station concerned for registering a criminal case against the abduction of his son, but police were reluctant to lodge a First Information Report (FIR).
He argued that the respondents have violated the legal and constitutional obligation towards Osama’s life and liberty, which is a violation of Article four, five, nine, 10 and 25 of the Constitution.
He requested the court to declare the detention illegal and asked the court to issue an order for his release. After the preliminary hearing, the chief justice issued notices to the officials till July 29.
Two other activists of HT, including Imran Yousafzai and Hayyan Dawar, who also went missing on July 12 and 14 respectively had already filed a writ petition. Earlier on July 20, the IHC had directed the deputy attorney general to submit its report on July 25. During the course of hearing, their cases were clubbed with Osama Hanif till July 29.
After the detention of Brigadier Ali Khan by the Pakistan Army for his alleged links with the HT, more then six young activists of the organisation have gone missing from different areas of the country.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 26th, 2011.
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Detentions, arrests, torture, rendition, threats, imprisonment....response of a defeated leadership. The resolve of these people to establish Islamic system today are similar to the Sahaba (ra) of the past. Nothing will deter them until the matter is established. We are with those who support Islam and call for its re-implementation and we do not support those who fight against muslims and Islam and see that Islam is removed from political/social/economic life.