Missing persons: Army told to file its comments by March 7

SHC asks police to also record statement of Dr Ajmal.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court granted on Thursday the request made on behalf of Pakistan army’s chief of general staff for more time to file a report in the cases of missing persons.

Granting up to March 7, the high court also directed the investigation officer to record a statement from Dr Ajmal Waheed, who was released by the law-enforcement agencies on January 25.

These directions were passed by a division bench, exclusively hearing cases of as many as 59 missing persons.

While hearing the case on January 17, the court had directed the federal interior ministry to prepare a list of missing person cases pending in the Sindh High Court and share it with the law-enforcement agencies.

Deputy Attorney General Muhammad Ashraf Mughal filed a report by Sohail Ahmed, lieutenant colonel for the chief of general staff, who stated that no such list was sent by the interior ministry, thus they did not take any action on their end. Requesting for time to file their comments, he assured the bench that they would do whatever was needed as soon as they got the list.

Mughal told the judges that the law enforcement and intelligence agencies working under the federal and provincial governments had appointed focal persons to attend to these cases as the court had ordered.

The ministry of defence has also appointed focal persons to coordinate with the Military Intelligence, Inter-Services Intelligence and General Headquarters.

The bench directed the police and other departments to categorize over 50 missing persons before the next hearing.

Meanwhile, the court was informed that detenue Dr Ajmal Waheed, who was allegedly kept by the law-enforcement agencies, had returned home on January 25. The bench directed the police to record his statement and submit it in court.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th, 2013.