The Islamabad High Court. PHOTO: File
Justice Athar Minallahin, while hearing the case of a missing person Sajid Mehmood, remarked that the JIT report submitted by the government mentioned that the state institutions are responsible for the missing persons.
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"Should the court really state that it is the fault of agencies that Sajid Mehmood’s misplacement FIR was not registered? SHO was blamed and given a minimal sentence, why shouldn’t the prime minister, secretary defence and inspector general be held responsible for his misplacement?" he questioned.
Justice Athar noted that it is not the responsibility of the court to find the missing persons but it is certainly accountable to find out who is responsible for this.
“It is the incompetence of the IG that he doesn’t know what the SHO under him is up to. If something happens to the IG’s child, what would his response be?"
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High court acquired details from the deputy attorney general about Sajid Mehmood’s household expenses and said that the cost should be paid from the IG's pocket, while the deputy commissioner, chief commissioner, and IG should be blamed for the missing people. "If this process is in practice, the situation would automatically be fixed," he added.
Court subsequently directed the deputy attorney general to appear before the court in the next hearing, likely to be held on January 12.
Deputy Attorney General Khalid Mehmood Raja, DSP Legal Azhar Shah, SHO Shalimar Muneer Jaffery and investigation officer Alamgir Khan were present during the court hearing.
IHC in 2016 directed the defence ministry secretary to personally submit a detailed report in a case pertaining to ‘enforced disappearance’ of Mehmood after the ministry and two intelligence agencies failed to comply with previous court orders.
An IB representative submitted a report before the court stating it has nothing to do with the case as the bureau does not have any legal authority to arrest people.
The petitioner, Mahera Sajid, through her counsel Umer Gilani alleged that her husband, Sajid Mehmood, was “abducted from their house in F-10/1 amid circumstance which strongly suggests that this is a case of enforced disappearance.”
She has made the secretaries of defence and interior ministries, Inspector-General of the Islamabad Police, chiefs of IB, ISI, Military Intelligence and the Shalimar Police Station SHO respondents in the case.
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