Missing persons’ case: PHC issues notices to political agents

Court criticises police, orders SHOs to recover abducted men.

PESHAWAR: It was a difficult day for political agents and police officials on Thursday, when the Peshawar High Court issued them notices in the missing persons’ case and ordered police stations in Peshawar to ensure the recovery of the abducted men.

The PHC ordered the Orakzai political agent to produce a detainee along with his records, when the court was informed that tribal chieftains had declared Mehboob Shah to be innocent but he was still in custody of the political administration.

The PHC chief justice, while heading a divisional bench with Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth, was informed that Shah, a resident of Bezoti area, went missing from the agency in 2010 and his wife Bangi Marjan had accused security forces of having picked him.

In the case of Darwesh Khan, who went missing from the Peshawar Central Prison in 2009, the chief justice said: “It is evident that the detainee is in a detention cell of the [Bajaur] political agent. Hence, the political agent is directed to produce the man with all others record on the next date of hearing.”

SHOs asked to recover missing persons

“In case your relatives go missing, you will dig out all the information in no time and recover them within an hour,” remarked the chief justice.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2012.