Defence Minister says the individuals are being kept at 43 different locations in K-P.
ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Thursday that the impression of the army holding 'missing persons' captive was wrong and that these people were actually imprisoned in different jails across Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Express News reported.
Asif was speaking to the media after a meeting with the Prime Minister, following today's hearing at the Supreme Court, where the government failed to present the 30 remaining missing persons to the judges.
The court has given the government one more day to present the individuals.
The Defence Minister said he had begun investigating the 'missing persons' matter as soon he assumed the mantle of Defence Minister, and had discovered that the missing persons were not with the military but in 43 different jails across Khyber Pukhtunkhwa that fell under the jurisdiction of the provincial government.
A three-member bench heard the case in Islamabad under the supervision of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
Frontier Corps (FC) Inspector General Major General Mohammed Ijaz Shahid was issued a contempt of court notice as he did not attend the hearing today even after being summoned to court several times. Allegations in the missing persons’ cases, directly or indirectly, have lead to either the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) or FC.
According to FC sources, FC IG Shahid could not attend the hearing as he was admitted to a hospital on November 29 because of his heart problem.
During the hearing the Defence Minister Khawaja Asif requested to have an in camera hearing as all the information regarding the missing persons could not be revealed at the court.
The chief justice turned down the request for an in camera hearing and had ordered that the missing persons be produced in court by 4pm.
Chief Justice Chaudhry also stated that from the first day the court was not respected with regards to its decisions concerning the missing persons case.
Later during the hearing, the defence minister promised the court that he had spoken to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and that he would relay good news regarding the missing persons case to the registrar the following day.
In response, the chief justice said that the registrar is not a judicial officer and the good news should be shared directly with the court.
Speaking to the media after the hearing, Khawaja Asif reiterated that he will give good news soon and acknowledged the gravity of the missing persons problem in Pakistan.
"It was not logistically possible to produce the missing persons in court today but we will try to present them in court tomorrow or provide some form of assurance to the court that they have been located," he said.
The hearing has been adjourned and will resume on Friday.
Missing persons case
On December 3, the Supreme Court had asked the government to either present missing persons before the court or provide concrete details about their whereabouts today.
The court had earlier given one-hour deadline to the government, however, this was extended as defence authorities failed to produce the missing persons.
Earlier during the hearing, the defence ministry’s additional secretary had informed the court about the whereabouts of three more missing persons and requested the bench to keep the identity of two persons a complete secret as their lives might be under a threat. The secretary had added that the government is working hard to trace all the missing persons. The chief justice had dismissed the defence secretary’s move to provide details of just three missing persons in court as “peanuts”.
“Don’t give us this lollypop. The prime minister and army chief are bound to follow this court’s orders. We are not sitting idle here,” the top judge had said, adding that no one can circumvent an order to give details to the apex court.
During December 2’s proceedings, Attorney General Munir A Malik had informed the court that two of the 35 missing persons had died in custody. The chief justice had ordered that a case be filed for the death of the two missing persons. Cases should also be registered against the people who have taken the missing persons into custody, Chief Justice Chaudhry had further added.
COMMENTS (16)
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@Kaleem: But what about those jokers who have been missing for years??
Life and safety of any innocent citizen including these should have priority over any issues that army may have with the govt.
Its high time that these 'locked horns' of the pak army are chopped off and civilian supremacy over the armed forces reigns supreme...
@Javaid Randhawa: What if tomorrow some guy picks you up on your way out and then detains you, tortures you or even God forbid kill by labeling that you're acting against the country and your parents don't even know where you are? how would that feel. Denial to judicial proceedure is a bigger crime than releasing the so called terrorist. If agencies can't produce any evidence in the court then on what basis they picked the missing persons in the first place?
@Vikram: Pretty much since he is a Burgurian aka PTIian.
"Frontier Corps (FC) Inspector General Major General Mohammed Ijaz Shahid was issued a contempt of court notice as he did not attend the hearing today even after being summoned to court several times". I thought the Supreme Court and the citizens of Pakistan know that the Generals are above the law and it is beneath their dignity to appear before the court. The problem is that the elite of Pakistan don't think the laws are for them, and they just pay lip service to the constitution. Pakistan will not be destroyed by outside enemy forces but will implode because of this elite class who do not abide by the laws and constitution of the country. In any civilize country this General Shahid would have shown the exit door for refusing to obey the Supreme Court or any other court.
I wonder how kpk has become the most important province all of a sudden. Every other thing belongs to Kpk Defense minister is here to defend corrupt military n govt.
Chief Justice Chaudhry also stated that from the first day the court was not respected. You cannot force people to respect you and that too with your demeanor. I also do not respect you not only for your support for terrorists and criminals, but for your mean character.
@Ian: I feel their pain. You missed the second part, I repeat: Instead, SC should call agencies and identify real powers behind missing persons. SC should tell them politely or legally about their responsibility and consequences.
wow @Javaid, without knowing these people you call them criminals.
CJP is trying his best to release terrorists before he retires. He should not be seen as friend of Pakistan. Very soon an FIR will be registered against him for defamation of Armed Forces of Pakistan. While repeatedly he has blamed Army about the missing person, all the arrested terrorist called missing person by CJP are in captivity of KPK provincial governmnent, kept in internment camps.
The agencies are called eyes and ears of a country. So called missing persons are playing in the hands of enemy and courts are releasing them because of no proof. Who can be witness of these criminals and later killed by their agents. We are with you our beloved guards. Ordinary man cannot understand.
Oh @Kaleem please put yourself in the shoes of the people who's loved ones are missing then I'm certain your thoughts would be different.
Interesting developments were that right after the meeting with PM and the President, the new COAS did two things. 1) Made a visit to ISI-HQ and 2) Met with the corps commanders. This signifies that the COAS's acts are also conditioned to thought of military which seems determined to violate the court's orders by using the shoulders of the Government.
Anyone can work against the integrity of country uptil unless proved
The newly elected govt cannot afford to lock horns with all powerful Army, they have hundreds of other issues to resolve. SC should not help a crisis situation by putting Army and govt against each other. Instead, they should call agencies and identify real powers behind missing persons. SC should tell them politely or legally about their responsibility and consequences.
Only and only coerce/convince intelligence agencies to present missing persons not the civil government thus missing persons may be presented in the court and in Pakistan like the other countries there must be a law thru which intelligence agencies have to be bound to inform the courts about the missing persons and allegations imposed on them whose are arrested by the intelligence agencies........
Only and only coerce/convince intelligence agencies to present missing persons not the civil government thus missing persons may be presented in the court........