Enforced disappearance case: IHC seeks response from IG

Bench says police negligence has been established and someone must pay

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Friday ordered the inspector general of Islamabad Police to explain the failure to register a case over the disappearance of a man who was picked up by individuals in uniform.

The incident took place in the heart of the federal capital around four months ago.

Justice Athar Minallah, expressing his displeasure, directed the IGP to submit the report within a week as he believed the circumstances reflected negligence on the part of the police. He observed that the missing IT engineer, Sajid Mehmood, had still not been recovered.

The court also put the then-Shalimar SHO on notice and ordered him to appear before the court on the next date of hearing. He was also told to "explain why he should not be removed from service".

The judge said the SHO was a public servant drawing a salary from taxpayer money and was bound to register a case if the complainant had gone to the police station.

Justice Minallah observed that the Islamabad Police clearly failed to perform its duty and investigate the disappearance.

He remarked that the police's negligent stand had been established by the court record and someone must be held responsible for it.

Petitioner’s co-counsel Haider Imtiaz said the government should pay reasonable maintenance to his dependents for the time Mehmood has been missing.

State counsel Khawaja Imtiaz sought more time to make submissions on behalf of the federal government.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 19^th, 2016.