1,035 ‘missing men’ freed on surety bonds, PHC told

Some 895 have been sent to internment centres, says official.

PESHAWAR:

Since its last hearing on May 16, a number of people had been eagerly waiting for June 26, the date fixed at the Peshawar High Court (PHC) for hearing cases pertaining to the enforced disappearances.

The PHC courtroom 1 was overcrowded with the relatives of the missing persons, officials of the Pakistan Army, ministry of interior, provincial police, home and tribal affairs department and Fata secretariat.

The relatives of the missing persons heard the good news from authorities that 1,930 missing persons had been identified. Of them, 1,035 had been released on PHC proposed surety bonds, while 895 had been shifted to internment centres.

Heading a division bench with Justice Mian Fasihul Mulk, Chief Justice (CJ) PHC Dost Muhammad Khan was informed by Syed Alamgir Shah, Special Secretary, Home and Tribal Affairs Department, that the process for shifting detained persons to internment centres was underway and an oversight board had recently concluded a visit of internment centres in Malakand and filed its recommendations.

Alamgir said the authorities would prosecute suspects against whom evidence was available and all others would be set free. A summary has been moved to the chief minister to allocate funds for providing facilities to the interned persons, he said.

Court expresses displeasure

Chief Justice Khan termed formation of the oversight board against the law, saying all members of the board were government officials and that addition of two civilian into the board was a must.

“Where is the summary? What is its status? Has it reached the chief minister?” Khan questioned. “It needs to be checked,” Alamgir replied.

“Then why have you come to the court unprepared?” Khan questioned adding, “Don’t push us to pass an adverse order.”

The court demanded of the authorities to provide a list of all those who had been shifted to internment centres to help the court dispose of their case and release the burden.

“We are under heavy burden and if you give us the list of those who have been shifted to interment centres or released, it will reduce the burden and we will dispose of their cases,” Khan said. However, Alamgir replied that they did not have the list.

“Either you failed to complete your work or you are under pressure of someone not to disclose the facts,” CJ Khan said and adjourned hearing of cases for 150 minutes, asking officials to produce the list before the court within the given time.

Authorities, after the PHC resumed hearing, produced a list of the persons who had been shifted to internment centres.

The court later started calling upon petitioners whose cases were enlisted to the cause list for June 26 and among 159 petitioners, 21 were confirmed to have reached home along with 11 detainees who were under custody of the provincial police.

CJ Khan also came hard on police by saying “We tell you again, if you find someone violating law, produce him before the court, the court won’t let him go until he is handled according to the law,” CJ Khan told DIG Headquarters Yameen Khan.

CJ Khan later adjourned the case hearing till July 11 with instruction that PHC’s registrar and the human rights cell would look into the list with the cases to be heard on the next date.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2012.