IHC summons intelligence officials in missing person case

The son of a local religious leader has been missing since April 2016

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Monday ordered a representative of an intelligence agency to appear in person in a case pertaining to the disappearance of a man in April 2016.

IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani ordered the official to appear before the court on February 3 while hearing a petition regarding the disappearance of Imran Sajjad.

His brother, Ali Abbas, through his counsel Hafiz Arfat Ahmad, approached the IHC against the alleged enforced disappearance of Sajjad, 34.



The petitioner has made the Federation through the interior secretary, the inspector general of the Islamabad Police, the defence secretary and the Inter-Services Intelligence director general respondents in the case.

The counsel said that the missing man hails from a notable family of Gahi Guffanwala Sharif, a small village near Chakwal. His father is a religious scholar who is also the ‘pir’ of Gahi Sharif.

After completing his education in Pakistan, Ahmed said Sajjad went to Iran to study Islamic studies from Al-Mustafa International University. He added that Sajjad completed his degree with a gold medal.

In the petition, Ahmed said Sajjad left for Islamabad on April 19, 2016, and informed the petitioner around 1:00 pm that he and his driver were on their way to Islamabad.

aThe petitioner and his whole family started searching for the missing men, he said, adding that they contacted the Islamabad police to lodge an FIR, but the authorities flatly refused to register the case.



When the case was not registered, Ahmed said, the family members thought it appropriate to approach the police authorities in Sargodha District as he was in that area before heading to Islamabad.

Finally, he said, on April 25, 2016, the Sargodha police lodged an FIR against unidentified persons.

Now, he informed the court, it has been learnt on “good authority” that Sajjad and his driver are in the custody of intelligence officials.

Since April 2016, Ahmed said that the petitioner has had no information on the whereabouts of his brother or his driver. The family of the petitioner is suffering from acute mental torture and agony without any justification, and no state agency is extending any cooperation for the recovery of Sajjad, the petition adds.

He has prayed that court to issue directions in the nature of habeas corpus to the respondents directing them to immediately produce Sajjad before the court.



In addition, he prayed that the court directs the relevant authorities to register a criminal case against those responsible for the alleged abduction and subsequent detention of Sajjad.

Following the hearing, the court adjourned the case till February 3.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2017.