While the Ministry of Defence denied charges of its involvement in enforced disappearances, the Peshawar High Court has asked the ministry to contact field commanders and search for the whereabouts of the missing men.
In Tuesday’s hearing, the court also issued notices to the director-general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and officials of the military intelligence to reply to allegations by families of missing persons, who hold security agencies responsible for abducting their relatives.
PHC Chief Justice (CJ) Dost Muhammad Khan, while heading a division bench with Justice Irshad Qaisar, was informed that the ministry is currently dealing with 32 writ petitions filed against security agencies for allegedly picking up people.
Wing Commander Irfan, representing the ministry, informed the bench that they have received replies on the petitions and information on five cases is complete. Interim replies were submitted for the rest of the petitions.
CJ Khan said that the ministry had in the past denied keeping people in illegal custody, but they were eventually recovered from them.
“We have been asking you to reply to claims since the year started,” CJ Khan said.
He asked them to directly contact field commanders and agency officials busy in the war zone in order to ensure that information is received without delay. “We admit that prisoners cannot be shifted during war time, but we should be informed about their whereabouts within 24 hours”, CJ Khan said, adding that if someone was a real offender he should be punished according to the law.
The bench summoned the assistant political agent of Jamrud subdivision on October 2 to reply to accusations by Sajid Ali, who was previously missing.
Sajid Ali, a resident of Tehkal Bala area, alleged that there were a number of people being kept in the APA’s lockup adding that one person, Amjad Ali, a resident of Adezai, and his uncle Saeed Khan, was also in the APA’s custody.Amjad’s father, Yousaf, has filed a habeas corpus petition at the high court.
Sajid alleged that he had been picked up in March by the then Hayatabad SHO Fazl-e-Wahid, who asked for a ransom of Rs1.5million, which was later reduced to Rs0.5million.
He said that people from his area managed to release him on August 16. “Amjad was also detained in the same lockup,” he said, adding that he has informed Amjad’s parents.
Around 54 case proceedings were held on Tuesday.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2012.
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