PHC seeks reports of 10 missing persons every week

Federal, provincial govts appoint K-P home secretary as focal person

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has sought reports about 10 missing persons every week in order to provide relief to the grieving families who have been knocking the court’s door for justice since the last five to six years.

A division bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) comprising Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Ikramullah was hearing different petitions filed by relatives of missing persons on Thursday.

In this regard, the division bench asked the additional registrar of the court to share dates of missing persons’ cases.



Furthermore, the federal and provincial governments have appointed Home Department Secretary in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Shakeel Qadir Khan as its focal person to deal with cases of missing persons.

Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Musarratullah and Additional Advocate General Waqar Ahmad Khan appeared before the division bench and contended that the home secretary would send a legal director to update the court regarding the status of the missing persons’ cases.

The home department’s legal director will appear before the courts to apprise them about the progress on notices issued to the defence and interior ministries and the K-P government.



The chief justice inquired the federal and provincial governments’ legal representatives about the progress made on guidelines given to them by the PHC for disposal of missing persons’ cases pending before the court since years.

The chief justice observed that the court wanted to decide these cases on priority basis. “It would be better to summon one official instead of several from each department, who could update the court on the progress made on directions issued to them,” observed the chief justice.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 3^rd, 2017.