Missing persons: Court asks govt to respond to allegations

Notices issued to intelligence agencies, elite forces among other officials۔

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has notified the federal government, police officials and security agencies to respond to allegations about several missing persons.

A PHC division bench, comprising of Justice Mian Fasihul Mulk and Mrs Justice Irshad Qaisar, was informed that Muhammad Sharif, a resident of Shamkana, Matta Swat, had been injured in a mortar attack. His nephew Kamran filed a petition saying that Sharif was later taken to Hayatabad Medical Complex where he, Sharif and three other people, Muhammad Sher, Usman Ali, and Aijazul Haq, were picked up by police and other men on May 29, 2010. He said that he, Ali and Haq had been released but Sharif and Muhammad Sher were still missing.

The bench issued notices to the federal government, the director general of the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), ISI’s section commander for Peshawar, commander-in-charge of the Anti-Terrorist Squad and the in-charge of elite force to respond to these allegations. The case was adjourned till September 20.

In another case, the division bench issued notices to the Kohat station commander and Kohat Cantt Station House Officer (SHO) for allegedly picking up Muhammad Ali, 26, from Baqizai, Kohat on January 12, 2010.

Returned

Mirza Ali, who had allegedly been picked up by peace militia volunteers on July 19 from Ajab Talab, Mattani , returned home after 22 days. Earlier, security agencies had been accused of picking up Ali.

Counsel for petitioner Sahib Gula informed The Express Tribune that the Bara assistant political agent had formed a jirga and negotiated Ali’s release. The bench later disposed of the petition.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2012.