Two of the missing persons died in custody, Attorney General of Pakistan Munir A Malik informed the Supreme Court during the hearing of the missing persons case. DESIGN: SIDRAH MOIZ KHAN
A three-member apex court bench - chaired by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry - is hearing the case in Islamabad. This hearing is regarding the 35 missing persons of whom two have died.
The chief justice ordered that the remaining missing persons be presented before the court by tomorrow.
The attorney general informed the bench that one of the deceased died in December 2012 and the other in July 2013. He also revealed that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had told him about the deaths of the missing persons last night.
The chief justice said that the deaths of these two people have made the case even more complicated.
He ordered that the names and other relevant details of the deceased be submitted to the court.
Chief Justice Chaudhry stated that a death in the custody of agencies is murder.
He also refused the defence minister's request to give more time to the government saying that not even a second more can be given in this regard.
The chief justice also questioned whether there is any law that is above the government as the government seemed helpless when it came to missing persons.
He also ordered that a case be filed for the death of the two missing persons. Cases should also be registered against the people who have taken the missing persons into custody, the chief justice further added.
“The people who have gone to the graveyard do not have any use for the legislation,” Chief Justice Chaudhry further stated.
Another SC bench had held two hearings of the missing persons cases in Lahore and ordered the defence minister and secretary to produce 35 missing persons or appear in person to “face the consequences”.
The chief justice had passed the order after defence authorities failed to produce the people on November 26 and sought more time.
COMMENTS (17)
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FC should call back its troops from every picquet & post and leave them at mercy of terrorists and that is what they deserve. They have no respect for lives and sacrifices of the troops. Even today, FC troops were attacked in Sibi and one embraced Shahadat. The life and honor of a judge is not more than the life and honor of a sepoy. If they dishonor you, you must do the same to them.
@Naeem Kahn Manhattan,Ks: Your stess is more on manhattan So your comments are not important
It is the duty of country courts to punish or release any criminals based on evidence. Police, agencies or any private force cannot punish anyone no matter how noble is their cause is. If agencies or police goes above the law, then they should be liable for harsh punishment. It is the supremacy of law which can protect and hold Pakistan together not these agencies who are paid by public exchequer yet they feel above all authority. Agencies committing crimes making country into jungle.
@Bazinga: When you undermine the laws of the country then lawlessness prevails and that is exactly what is happening in Pakistan. If these people were guilty of any crimes then the courts of the country should deal with them and not ISI or any other intelligence agencies. What you are saying is that let these agencies do what ever they want, well these same very people has staged coups,hanged an elected prime minister and bribed the politicians, in other words abetted the corruption in already corrupt country. It seem to us that the Supreme Court of Pakistan is doing all it could do and bring justice to the people. Don't forget that Bangladesh came into being because of the heavy handedness of our armed forces, Baluchistan is in turmoil because of the same institution, Baluchistan needs political settlement and let their natural resources be for the people of Baluchistan and not for the whole of Pakistan with out any fair compensation to the Baluch people. You can't subjugate people by coercion and with the barell of the gun, people will rebel because of injustices inflected upon them by the elite ruling class of Pakistan and that include the Generals in the Armed Forces.
@;-)chief I thought you were already free
@Bazinga: "Our agencies are smart, they must and probably have credible info regarding these “missing” people and just don’t want our courts to release them". So these smart agencies are the judge and the jury in a Democratic Country. Say it plainly. It is called jungle rule.
Please see the decisions of Justice Dost Mohammad, Ch Iftikhar & shaukat Aziz siddiqui and you would understand why are terrorists flourishing in Pakistan
I do not trust Pakistani Judges a bit. Each one of them run his chamber even after they are elevated as Judges. Very few judges closes their businesses when they become judges, others keep them for wheeling dealings.
its so sad,only families can feel this pain. Agencies are becoming God father in Pakistan,who will come to tame them? Men those work for agnecies do not have heart and they have no God's fear, they will be anaswerable in the day of judjment. wht is deifference between terrorists and those kill under Agencies umbrella?
Has the chief Justice ever cared about the deaths of soldiers at the hands of terrorists.It will be a disgrace of a soldier to present himself before the apologists of terrorists. They should not give any respect to courts as they do not deserve it
These terrorists died natural death in custody. CJ should register the case against the angel of death like PTI had done it against drone
We should not undermine our agencies. Those under the grasp of our agencies are sepratists and militants. Surely we musn't be fooled by the protesting families and if this is the case, we should have released Sarabjit Singh and also in this regard, every terrorist since they too have or had grieving families. Our agencies are smart, they must and probably have credible info regarding these "missing" people and just don't want our courts to release them out of anger and not logic like always.
They were too dangerious to be produced infront of moles of terrorists. Judges have repeatedly proved unworthy of justice. The entire episode reflects the no confidence that Armed Forces of Pakistan has shown in the Judiciary. Had judiciary not let loose 3000 terrorists on the people of Pakistan, after they were produced in courts, things would have not reached this impasse
Free all the terrorists.....
This case should reach to its logical conclusion and those responsible for the deaths of the missing persons should be given exemplary punishments.