IHC to keep poet’s recovery case alive until appearance

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has turned down the federal government’s request to close the recovery case of missing Kashmiri poet Ahmed Farhad until he appears in person at a hearing.

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the IHC presided over the petition filed by Farhad’s wife, Urooj Zainab, who was represented by human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali. Additional Attorney General Munawwar Iqbal represented the federation.

Iqbal informed the court that Farhad was on physical remand until June 2 and had been permitted to meet his family. He then requested the IHC to wrap up the illegal confinement case.

Mazari, representing Farhad, argued that their objective was not only the poet’s return but also to seek action against those responsible for his “enforced disappearance.”

She added that Farhad’s family had gone to DhirKot Police Station in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) but found no trace of him. The family was later informed that Farhad had been transferred to Muzaffarabad under different sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

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After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Kayani denied the additional attorney general’s plea, stating that the case would be concluded only when Farhad was produced before the court.

The hearing was subsequently adjourned until June 7.

On Wednesday, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan informed the high court that the poet had been "arrested and is currently in police custody" in AJK.
Zainab, who filed the petition on May 15, sought her husband’s recovery and requested the court to identify, investigate, and prosecute those responsible for his disappearance.

A report from DhirKot Kashmir police station was also presented to the court, revealing that Farhad, known for his defiant prose, was allegedly abducted from his home on May 14.