LHC seeks answers on missing persons
LHC CJ expresses displeasure over non submission of replies by Ministry of Defence.
LAHORE:
The Lahore High Court Chief Justice (CJ) Khwaja Muhammad Sharif hearing two cases of missing persons on Friday expressed displeasure over the non submission of replies by the Ministry of Defence.
He warned he would summon the defence secretary, if the replies were not filed by the next hearing.
The CJ observed that the Ministry of Defence had made a habit of not responding to the courts until strict directions were issued.
He directed the ministry to recover the people and produce them before the court on November 8 along with its reports in both cases.
The CJ was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Razia Begum of Shahdara for the recovery of her son, Tayyab, from the alleged custody of the secret agencies. She said that personnel of some secret agencies along with the police officials raided her house on September 13, 2010, and abducted her son. She informed the court that her son ran a herbal medicine shop.
She asked the court to direct the respondent authorities to recover her son and produce him before the court.
The second petition was filed by Allah Rakhi, a resident of Lorry Adda, for the recovery of her nephew Sabir. She alleged that officials from the Lorry Adda police station had arrested Sabir on June 16, 2010. They told her that he would be released the next day after questioning. Since then, she said, his whereabouts were unknown to his family.
She sought the court’s direction to the authorities concerned to recover the man.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 23rd, 2010.
The Lahore High Court Chief Justice (CJ) Khwaja Muhammad Sharif hearing two cases of missing persons on Friday expressed displeasure over the non submission of replies by the Ministry of Defence.
He warned he would summon the defence secretary, if the replies were not filed by the next hearing.
The CJ observed that the Ministry of Defence had made a habit of not responding to the courts until strict directions were issued.
He directed the ministry to recover the people and produce them before the court on November 8 along with its reports in both cases.
The CJ was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Razia Begum of Shahdara for the recovery of her son, Tayyab, from the alleged custody of the secret agencies. She said that personnel of some secret agencies along with the police officials raided her house on September 13, 2010, and abducted her son. She informed the court that her son ran a herbal medicine shop.
She asked the court to direct the respondent authorities to recover her son and produce him before the court.
The second petition was filed by Allah Rakhi, a resident of Lorry Adda, for the recovery of her nephew Sabir. She alleged that officials from the Lorry Adda police station had arrested Sabir on June 16, 2010. They told her that he would be released the next day after questioning. Since then, she said, his whereabouts were unknown to his family.
She sought the court’s direction to the authorities concerned to recover the man.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 23rd, 2010.