Peshawar High Court: FC owns up to holding 2 men after initial denial

Says one of the detained was linked to militants.

PESHAWAR: It came to light on Wednesday’s hearing of missing persons’ cases at the Peshawar High Court (PHC) that two people, who were previously listed as missing, had been in Frontier Corps (FC) custody.

PHC Chief Justice (CJ) Dost Muhammad Khan took Deputy Attorney General Iqbal Mohmand to task and issued notices to him, as well as the Frontier Corps (FC) inspector general, for initially pleading ignorance about the two men, Siraj and Saddam, hailing from Ghallani area although later, hospital records proved that both were under custody of the FC unit, Mohmand Rifles. The records showed that Siraj had been brought by the FC to Agency Headquarters Hospital Ghallani for tuberculosis treatment.

The court also ordered FC officials and the political administration to shift Siraj to the Lady Reading Hospital for proper treatment on state expenses.

An exasperated Justice Khan also decided to take matters concerning missing persons into the court’s hands.

“Let’s do it this way, hand over a few test cases to us, we will investigate the missing persons (cases) by hiring the services of the best investigation officers and will give you the results within 15 days,” a confident CJ told Mohmand when the latter sought time to probe missing persons’ cases during the hearing.

“It is up to you now, whether you are releasing them or not, just say yes or no,” Justice Khan remarked, summoning FC authorities to submit a reply.

Major Iqbal, who appeared before the court on behalf of the FC, said that Siraj was the brother-in-law of militant commander Qari Shakil.

“We have enough evidence against Siraj and that is the reason he has been in custody,” Major Iqbal said.

In another case, the court summoned the Peshawar CCPO and officials of the Mathra Police Station when it was informed that one Rahat Hussain, allegedly picked up by the Mathra police from Mustafa Town in Lahore, was killed in a fake police encounter on February 23, 2012.

The counsel told the media that Hussain had only been involved in minor crimes.

The chief justice ordered that a case be registered on an incident where the Ministry of Defence denied having picked up Muhammad Arif, a resident of Par Hoti Mardan.

Meanwhile, the counsel for a man named Shahid Afridi, who had earlier gone missing from Nowshera, assured the court that Afridi would appear and assist the court on the next date of hearing.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2012.