Court orders compensation for two previously ‘missing’ persons

Amjad Khan and Sayed Khan, nephew and uncle, were killed by security forces during a military operation.

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday directed the political agent (PA) of Khyber Agency to process cases in order to pay compensation to legal heirs of two previously missing persons later found dead in the tribal areas. According to officials of the political administration, both were presumed to have been killed by security forces during a military operation in Shah Kas area of Khyber Agency.

Amjad Khan and Sayed Khan, nephew and uncle, respectively – belonged to Adezai village. They went missing in December 2011, but their family members accused Pharipura police of picking them up and handing them over to the assistant political agent (APA) of Khyber Agency.

The family of both persons later filed petitions before the PHC, which consequently served a notice to APA Jamrud to appear before the court in person. The notice came after Sajid Ali, a resident of Tehkal and previously ‘missing’ person, confirmed he was accompanying Amjad at the APA’s lock-up in Jamrud.

The political administration’s legal advisor Iqbal Durrani, however, denied the allegations, saying he personally visited the lock-up but did not find the detainees there. On Thursday, Khyber Agency PA Mutahir Zeb told the court it was not confirmed whether the alleged detainees were killed in encounter, adding they could have been killed by stray bullets.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26^th, 2013.