Missing persons: Top judge says court has evidence against FC

Dissatisfied by lack of progress in recovery of missing persons.

QUETTA:

The Supreme Court on Thursday said it has substantial evidence against the Frontier Corps (FC) regarding missing persons case.

“We respect the FC for the many sacrifices it has rendered for Pakistan, but we have substantial evidence against it,” said Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry while hearing the Balochistan law and order case at the SC’s Quetta registry on Thursday.

The two-member bench, headed by the chief justice, expressed dissatisfaction with the report presented by the counsel for the Balochistan government regarding the implementation of SC orders on missing persons.

Showing serious concern over the lack of progress in the missing persons case, it questioned why the issue was still unresolved despite the fact that hearings of the case were being conducted since 2010.

Appearing on behalf of the FC, Major Nadeem told the bench that the paramilitary force did not have a single person in its custody. His statement, however, prompted Chief Justice Chaudhry to say that the court had evidence against the FC and the paramilitary force should increase its cooperation with the judiciary.

“How long will we give hope to the families of missing persons?” he questioned rhetorically. The bench also questioned the absence of the federal interior secretary and said he should have been present during the case proceedings.

The hearing will resume today (Friday).

Earlier, the bench heard the suo motu notice over the killing of 14 bus passengers in Bolan and the Police Lines suicide attack.

During the hearing, the counsel for the Balochistan government submitted the investigation reports into the tragic incidents and the arrests of those involved.

Upon reviewing the report, however, the bench expressed its dissatisfaction. In particular, it expressed concern over the suggestion that the route for the bus should be changed to protect passengers, saying this was not a proper solution.

“The government is not protecting the public and their property under Article 9 of the Constitution… It also has no writ in some parts of Balochistan,” it observed.

Chief Justice Chaudhry also held the suo motu hearing over the telecast of a video of the attack on the Quaid-e-Azam residency by a private news channel.  The deputy attorney general also told the bench that a person appearing in the talk show had said democracy had failed in the country.

At this, the chief justice asked Pemra chairman as to why no FIR had been registered against that person. “Comments are being passed against democracy… for which we fought for the last five years… and you are watching comfortably,” he said.

Balochistan Chief Secretary Babar Yaqub Fateh Muhammad, meanwhile, told the court that the identities of those involved in the attack on the residency has been ascertained and some of them had also been arrested.

Adjourning the hearing of the suo motu case, the chief justice directed the CEO of the news channel in question to appear before the court.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2013.