Enforced disappearances: Chief Justice sets fresh deadline for security agencies

Report presented on Balochistan’s law and order situation.


Mohammad Zafar August 28, 2013
CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry. PHOTO: FILE

QUETTA:


Calling enforced disappearances a grave issue that was besmirching the country’s image, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on Tuesday gave security agencies another two weeks to bring missing persons before the court.


The hearing of the Balochistan law and order case continued in Supreme Court’s Quetta registry on the second consecutive day. A three-member bench headed by the chief justice heard the case.

“Evidences are available against the Frontier Constabulary (FC) and secret agencies in the missing persons’ cases,” remarked the chief justice as he cast fresh doubt on the competency of security agencies.

Additional Advocate General Tariq Ali Tahir presented a report on Balochistan law and order and mentioned the recovery of mutilated corpses from Karachi over which the chief justice expressed his deep displeasure. “Whosoever is doing this is doing hostility with the country.”

Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) chairman Nasarullah Baloch informed the court that as many as 26 mutilated corpses of people in Balochistan had been recovered from Karachi.

The chief justice remarked that the recovery of mutilated dead bodies is a dangerous phenomenon, adding that those who receive the bodies face painful times.

“Even a chopped finger of anyone should not be recovered, whereas on the contrary, entire corpses are being found,” the chief justice added.

Balochistan Chief Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fetah Muhammad informed the court that he and Inspector General Police (IGP) Balochistan had visited Karachi a few days back and had taken up the issue with the Sindh government.

Additional Attorney General Shah Khawar informed the court that a high profile meeting has been called in this regard and serious efforts are being made for recovery of missing persons.

Justice Jawad S Khawaja said that such assurances were also given earlier to the court but all in vain, adding that what should be expected now and what scale of importance should be rendered to assurances as the investigating team of the federal government had not answered many questions regarding the missing persons.

He said that the court is not concerned that who is IG FC now or earlier for that matter but all that the court seeks is progress in the case of missing persons. “It is high time that the people receive relief now,” Justice Jawad S. Khawaja said.

However, on the request of the attorney general, the court gave two weeks to the security agencies for provision of improvement in the case of missing persons and observed that in as many as 70 cases of missing persons, apart from the inquiry of judicial forum, other evidences suggest that the FC and security agencies have picked them up.

The court ordered to present all missing persons before the court and if they were accused of any crimes, they should face trial in accordance with the law of the land.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28th, 2013.

COMMENTS (2)

Zubaida | 10 years ago | Reply

Another deadline... same result. The 'agencies' are busy doing what they do best. They don't have time for deadlines.

BetelQ8 | 10 years ago | Reply

Frankly, I have now stopped counting the number of deadlines !!!

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