Enforced disappearances: Ten more missing persons shifted to detention centres in K-P

Complete report of the federal taskforce to be presented to the PHC in two to three days.

PESHAWAR: Ten missing persons have been shifted to internment centres across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). This was learnt by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday while hearing petitions of 279 missing persons from K-P and the tribal areas.

A two-member PHC bench comprising Justice Mian Fasilul Mulk and Justice Ikramullah Khan was informed the federal taskforce for missing persons report would be presented in court within two to three days.



Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Iqbal Mohmand informed the bench after previous hearings of the missing persons case, ten more have been shifted to interment centres. The taskforce was thoroughly investigating the cases of all petitioners, said Mohmand.

As per the court’s previous orders, a comprehensive report on missing persons, their whereabouts and those who have been released has been finalised, said DAG Muzamil Khan.

According to the list presented in court, those shifted to internment centres were identified as Qaiser Khan who has been shifted to Malakand, Younas and Bilal shifted to Kohat, Noor Zada, Shahzada, Younas Khan, Noor Muhammad, Taj Muhamamd and Akbar Saddique to Lakki Marwat, and Noor Ali to Paithom internment centre in Swat.

Upon hearing the arguments from both deputy attorneys general, the bench set December 10 for the next hearing.

On October 24, the PHC gave a four-week deadline to the federal taskforce for missing persons to produce a report on the whereabouts of all missing persons as well as the number of those who have been released. Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Asadullah Khan Chamkani gave the orders.

At which point, Additional Attorney General Syed Atiq Shah said the federal government had constituted a taskforce for missing persons through a notification issued on July 24.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2013.