Missing persons: ISI, MI counsel says RAW and Mossad involved

Court asks if the agencies have credible information of their involvement, why no action being taken against them.

ISLAMABAD: The counsel for Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI) has revealed in the Supreme Court that Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Israel’s Mossad are active in Pakistan. He was speaking during the hearing of the missing persons case.

He said that they were behind kidnappings in the country and were being helped by terrorist groups.

The chief justice asked the defence counsel if the agencies had any credible information of the involvement of RAW and Mossad, and why they did not take any against them. “We did not bar you from taking action against RAW and Mossad.”

Terming the intelligence agencies’ reply on Adiala missing persons unsatisfactory, the apex court on Friday took suo motu notice against the abduction of a boy who used to provide food at camps set up by the relatives of missing persons outside parliament.

A three judge-bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry directed Inspector General of Police Islamabad and Attorney General of Pakistan Maulvi Anwarul Haq to submit a report of the incident by March 17 and present the abductee before the court on March 19.

Addressing Maulvi Anwarul Haq and Raja Irshad, counsel for ISI and MI, the chief justice said that this time a man was abducted right under the nose of the federal government. Advocate Tariq Asad the counsel for missing persons told the court that Omar Mehmood Khan was picked up by the intelligence agencies because he used to serve the food to the families at the missing persons’ camp at D-Chowk (in front of the Parliament).

Raja Arshad rejected the allegations, stating that the military intelligence agencies were not involved in missing persons’ episodes.

A family recently returned from Canada through a letter had informed the Human Rights Cell of the apex court that one of their family members, Omar Mehmood Khan, 24, was abducted by the agencies on March 10 near Orchid Scheme in Islamabad.

“After going through the contents of the letter last night, we issued notices to IGP Islamabad that what kind of high-handedness was underway by none other than officials of agencies, even in the federal capital city,” the chief justice informed the attorney general.

The letter suggests that Omar was kidnapped in the same style as was used in picking up many other missing persons. Men driving two double cabins with tinted glasses, a black corolla, a white Suzuki Baleno and a Suzuki Mehran picked up the boy in front of his father, mother and a younger brother.

Omar’s mother, Dr Rubina was also present in the court today. The chief justice, while calming her down, said that “we will not allow anyone to act above the law”, adding that the agencies were not above the Constitution.

Advocate Raja Irshad asked the court why all blame was leveled on the ISI and MI. The chief justice said that, “We respect our armed forces and intelligence agencies, but when they detracted then the court and media expressed concerns and you cannot stop us from this.”

During the last hearing, the court had rejected explanatory reports submitted by the lawyer of the agencies and termed them unsatisfactory, and had also sought a detailed report from the chief secretary of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The K-P chief secretary submitted a report on the health of inmates today, which was appreciated by the court.

Counsel for detainee Hafiz Majid, Advocate Tariq Asad informed the court that his client was suffering from Cancer and Hepatitis C, and asked that permission be granted to shift him to Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital in Lahore.

The court was informed that the health condition of at least three prisoners was still not satisfactory. The chief justice asked Raja Irshad how the detainees were being treated. “Were they not human? Why a fair trial right was denied to them? We will proceed against you after deciding initial things - you will tell us how the four of them died in your custody.”

Advocate general of K-P will submit a report within three days on which internment centers inmates will be kept at. The court also asked him to arrange a place where relatives of these inmates could see them easily.

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