Missing persons case: Court miffed by ISI’s lack of ‘serious efforts’
Chief Justice directs DG ISI to submit a reply by September 26.
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday expressed displeasure over the lack of serious efforts by the Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) for the recovery of missing Hizbut Tahrir (HuT) activists who went missing in July.
Chief Justice IHC Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman in his judgment observed that “no serious efforts are being made towards the recovery of the missing detainees and the respondent Director General (DG) ISI has not submitted a reply so far”.
The CJ also observed that the court is not ready to take any lenient view and directed DG ISI to submit a reply by September 26.
Relatives of the missing HuT activists had filed writ petitions before the court in July, maintaining that security agencies were responsible for the disappearances.
The missing activists include Osama Hanif, a telecom engineer and graduate of the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), who went missing from sector G-11 on July 12. Similarly, deputy spokesman of HuT Imran Yousafzai, Hayyan Dawar and dental Surgeon Dr Abdul Qayyum were also allegedly picked up by spy agencies on July, 14 and 21 and 27, respectively, from different area of the country.
The court also directed the relatives to send their writ petitions to the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances constituted by the SC where cases of missing persons were reported. According to the judgment, the commission will probe the case and if there is any progress made on their side, they will inform the court.
The court further expressed that competent Investigation Officers should investigate the case and should inform the court of any progress.
On August 10, the representatives of the Military Intelligence (MI) denied detaining HuT activists, saying that the missing persons were not in their custody. The ISI had said that they are looking into recovery of the missing activists.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 13th, 2011.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday expressed displeasure over the lack of serious efforts by the Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) for the recovery of missing Hizbut Tahrir (HuT) activists who went missing in July.
Chief Justice IHC Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman in his judgment observed that “no serious efforts are being made towards the recovery of the missing detainees and the respondent Director General (DG) ISI has not submitted a reply so far”.
The CJ also observed that the court is not ready to take any lenient view and directed DG ISI to submit a reply by September 26.
Relatives of the missing HuT activists had filed writ petitions before the court in July, maintaining that security agencies were responsible for the disappearances.
The missing activists include Osama Hanif, a telecom engineer and graduate of the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), who went missing from sector G-11 on July 12. Similarly, deputy spokesman of HuT Imran Yousafzai, Hayyan Dawar and dental Surgeon Dr Abdul Qayyum were also allegedly picked up by spy agencies on July, 14 and 21 and 27, respectively, from different area of the country.
The court also directed the relatives to send their writ petitions to the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances constituted by the SC where cases of missing persons were reported. According to the judgment, the commission will probe the case and if there is any progress made on their side, they will inform the court.
The court further expressed that competent Investigation Officers should investigate the case and should inform the court of any progress.
On August 10, the representatives of the Military Intelligence (MI) denied detaining HuT activists, saying that the missing persons were not in their custody. The ISI had said that they are looking into recovery of the missing activists.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 13th, 2011.