State responsible for locating missing persons, even if they disappear voluntarily: SHC

Court instructs federal, provincial governments to intensify efforts to recover missing persons within three weeks

The Sindh High Court (SHC), during a hearing on missing persons' cases, asserted that the state bears the responsibility of locating missing individuals, even if they have disappeared voluntarily.

The court made this declaration while hearing petitions regarding the recovery of more than 10 missing persons, including a retired FIA officer, under the supervision of Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto.

The court expressed strong disapproval of the police’s routine handling of missing persons' cases, criticising the practice of submitting stereotyped, copy-paste reports.

Justice Phulpoto questioned the necessity of such reports if no substantial efforts were being made to recover the missing individuals.

In the case of a missing citizen, Arsalan, the court inquired whether compensation had been paid to his family.

The government lawyer responded that it had not been established if Arsalan was forcibly disappeared. Justice Phulpoto criticized the inclusion of compensation in the report if it was not going to be paid.

In another case, a police officer claimed that Haider went missing on his own from Boat Basin and was not taken into custody by any agency.

The court reiterated that even if a person disappears on his own, it remains the state's duty to locate them.

The SHC also ordered an immediate JIT meeting to trace the retired FIA officer and demanded reports on the recovery efforts for other missing persons within three weeks.

The federal and provincial governments were instructed to take effective measures for their recovery.