Pakistan

Missing persons: ‘2011 will be year of recovery’

Judge seeks govt response on Judicial Commission’s report.

Qaiser Zulfiqar January 11, 2011

ISLAMABAD:

The year 2011 will see the recovery of all missing persons, Justice Javed Iqbal remarked on Monday during the course of hearing of missing persons’ case.

The court has asked for the government’s response on the Judicial Commission’s report constituted by the Supreme Court for the recovery of missing persons.

Additional Attorney General for Pakistan KK Agha appeared before the three-member bench headed by Justice Javed Iqbal and presented the report.

“Pakistan is not a Banana Republic where people may do whatever they like. Those responsible for the prisoners’ disappearance must be dealt with an iron hand,” Agha requested the court.

More than a hundred people have been picked up by the agencies since April 2010 till date, Amina Masud Janjua informed the bench. The number of missing persons has gone up to 281. Agha clarified that 134 people have also been recovered during this period.

Amina further submitted before the bench that the judicial commission is powerless and the Supreme Court itself should conduct the hearing of cases of missing persons.

From the next hearing onwards, three days a week the missing persons’ case would be heard and on every hearing five cases of missing persons would be taken up, head of the bench Justice Javed assured Amina.

He also emphasised the need of a permanent tribunal as per the commission’s report for hearing cases of missing persons on a regular basis.

Justice Javed also directed Agha to inform the court on next hearing about steps taken by the government against those responsible for people’s disappearances.

“Secretary Interior, Chief Secretaries and Inspector Generals of police should also inform the court what steps they have taken in light of the Judicial Commission’s report,” Justice Javed directed.

The way Supreme Court recovered 11 missing people from Adyala Jail, the other people would also be traced the same way.

Everyone is aware with the Balochistan situation therefore these cases cannot linger on further and the court would do its best for the good results, he remarked.

“2011 would be the year of recovery of all missing persons,” Justice Javed said adding “what the judicial commission has suggested in its report for legislation to control spy agencies, it must be implemented”.

Advocate Hashmat Habib informed the bench that few families of missing persons are hesitating to appear before the court.

Justice Raja Fayyaz remarked “They are scared, that’s why they are avoiding”.

Hashmat further said that few people were made disappear by the state upon which Justice Javed remarked that the responsible will have to go behind the bars.

Agha requested the bench for not making the report of Judicial commission, public, which the bench accepted and adjourned the hearing of the case till next Monday.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2011.

COMMENTS (3)

Shahryar+Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply Great news, now let's ask them to focus on all the pending references from 2006 onwards with the Supreme Judicial Council as well & get them resolved along with the detail judgments. Our Judiciary has seemed too forgotten about these very important references against the so called independent & in-corruptible people. Let's see if these all are false as been claimed by the lawyers’ movement & the media group aligned to the right. All Hail Independent Judiciary!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jahangir Khan | 13 years ago | Reply Unfortunately, this is one of the darkest sides not only of the state but also of our society. To implement the political and economic agenda of the local (army generals) and global establishment(western capitalism), the pakistani state has long been involved in serious violations of the human rights of its citizens. The deep state within the state is run by the generals, feared by the masses, worshiped by the clerics, financed by the lion share of the country's budget as well as by its western patrons, especially america) the deep state has never considered the rule of law more precious than a pack of cigarettes. Abducting its own citizens and then either packing them to america in return for a few bucks or detaining then illegally in its own custody, the deep and dark state need not fear any individual or instituion. From the leaders and institutions of the u.s.a. to europe or from the mullahs to politicl leaders to media persons inside Pakland, no is there sincere enough to challenge the dark activities of the deep state within the state of pakistan. Who cares as long as they do not become a victim of it? But please wait, any one you pakis and bloody civilians may be kidnapped from any part (from karachi to adyala gaol to baluchistan to tribal agencies) taken away by the secret agencies of this state and never presented before any court of law, defying both international and national laws. And they need not worry at all even if their role is suspected by the UN in the murder of an ex-prime minister of the unlucky land. They have employed a big army of media persons that protect the interests to the deep state by diverting the masses's attention towards non-issues. Look at the general mindset of pakistani society and you ll find it peopled by souls who protest on streets or fill the spaces on blogs when it comes to blasphemy laws, but who are dumb, deaf,blind and spirituallay or intellectuallay dead when it comes to missing persons. For how long can such a deep state or a dark society exist in modern times?

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