Custodial death?: Court sets deadline to compensate widow of previously missing person

Warns of attaching federal and provincial property if money is not released by Tuesday.

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday warned it would attach federal and provincial property if the government failed to compensate the widow of a previously missing person by Tuesday.

The orders were issued by a division bench comprising PHC Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Qaisar Rashid while hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Hamida Bibi alleging security agencies had picked up her son, Farmanullah.



Farmanullah initially went missing from Nauthia, Peshawar in 2012, but his remains were found stuffed in a gunny bag within the jurisdiction of Prang police station, Charsadda in January 2013. This led the court to direct the federal and provincial governments to compensate Farmanullah’s widow.

On July 3, officials from the finance division told the court Rs0.5 million had been released for the deceased’s widow and a message had been conveyed to the Accountant General of Pakistan Revenue (AGPR) to adjust the amount.

Representing the provincial government, Additional Advocate General Naveed Akhtar had said the provincial government was also arranging a sum of Rs0.5 million. He assured the money would be paid to Farmanullah’s widow on Thursday (yesterday).

But during Thursday’s hearing, the bench expressed its concern over delays in payment despite the fact that the funds had already been issued. Deputy Attorney General Iqbal Mohmand told the court the finance department had issued the amount, but it could not be released due to technical errors at AGPR. Akhtar failed to satisfy the court, upon which the bench gave until Tuesday for Farmanullah’s widow to be compensated.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 19^th, 2013.