PHC cracks whip on missing persons cases

Court says police need to be independent, govt must do more

PESHAWAR:

Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court, Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, stated that people have been missing for over ten years, and their whereabouts remain unknown.

"The provincial government must now take steps to alleviate the suffering of these families and take action on their behalf. Some cases are emerging where individuals are mentally ill and have been abducted, and instead of being kept in jail, they require medical treatment," he added

The honourable CJ made these remarks during the hearing of a habeas corpus petition filed by Amin Khan, a resident of Karak, the previous day. At the hearing, the father of missing Amin Khan, Zarjan, informed the court that his son was abducted three months ago from Karak and is currently being held at the rehabilitation center in Shakas. He said they have met him twice, but Amin suffers from epilepsy and is unable to work.

In response, the Chief Justice remarked, "Your son has been missing for three months, but here, people have been missing for over ten years, and they are still coming to the courts."

He added that it is now time for the provincial government to take action for these individuals. The court addressed Advocate Ali Zaman, urging him to find a solution to this issue, as many people are sick and languishing in prisons when they need medical treatment rather than incarceration.

Advocate Ali Zaman informed the court that he would discuss the matter with higher authorities and that they, too, want anyone involved in wrongdoing to be brought before the courts if there is evidence against them.

However, he also mentioned that in some matters, the provincial government has limited authority. At this point, Deputy Attorney General Ubaidullah Anwar appeared in court and said that he was not aware of the details of the case. The CJ then directed him to gather information from the Shakas Centre, as the missing person had met his father twice. The hearing was adjourned until September 16.

Missing brothers

The Peshawar High Court has issued orders to include the SHO of Hayatabad in the investigation regarding a petition for the recovery of four brothers who went missing from Hayatabad.

During the hearing of the case, Justice Ejaz Anwar remarked that there is no independent institution in the country and the police need to be freed.

"If the police are not independent, the situation will not improve. They should be empowered so that they are not controlled by anyone's influence. It has been over three months, and the investigation has not yet been completed," the PHC judge observed.

At the beginning of the case hearing, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Additional Chief Secretary Abid Majeed, the federal special secretary of interior, Additional Attorney General Sanaullah, and the lawyer of the petitioner, Gulalai Alkozai, appeared in court.

The petitioner's lawyer informed the court that six months ago, Usman Khan Alkozai, Muhammad Nasir, Abdul Waris, and Zahir Shah Alkozai were abducted from their home in Hayatabad by armed men. Despite a considerable period of time having passed, it is still unclear who abducted them.