IHC highlights challenges in missing persons cases

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the IHC has emphasised that while terrorists must be dealt with according to the law, keeping individuals missing for 10 years provides no solution.

During a hearing on a petition filed by the wife of missing person Umar Abdullah regarding the implementation of a recovery order, the judge noted that defending missing persons cases is extremely difficult even for government lawyers.

The additional attorney general informed the court that the FCC has issued a stay. Justice Kayani observed that the high court's earlier decision was deemed incorrect by the FCC, effectively suspending proceedings.

Under the current order, missing persons in Pakistan cannot be recovered, Justice Kayani remarked. He added that families must now take their cases to the FCC. He noted that the case has been unresolved for 10 years, with state institutions providing no information.

Justice Kayani referred to a senior journalist's article, "Buddhe Baloch Ki Naseehat", which highlighted the ordeal of a father whose son went missing and whose body was never recovered, leaving the family without closure.

Justice Kayani also recalled that former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto mentioned a similar case in his book, noting that institutions had buried a missing son without informing the father, underscoring a tragic pattern in the country's history.