Families of missing persons protesting at Islamabad along with Amina Janjua, wife of Masood Janjua. PHOTO: ZAFAR ASLAM
The United Nations Refugees Agency (UNHCR) has refused access to the Punjab police to interrogate a witness in the case of the enforced disappearance of Masood Janjua, the Supreme Court was told on Monday.
According to his statement to the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on December 5, 2009, the witness, Dr Imran Munir, claimed to have seen Mr Janjua in the custody of ISI Brigadier Mansoor Saeed Sheikh in a cell near Zakria masjid in Rawalpindi between July 28, 2006 and March 2007. Dr Munir is living in a UNHCR camp in Sri Lanka as an asylum seeker.
Punjab Police SP Potohar Town Haroon Joya informed the court that the UNHCR’s Sri Lanka office contended that the privacy laws and international conventions under which it operates do not permit the sharing of information about individuals listed with it, residing in a UNHCR camp or those who approach the agency for asylum.
A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Jawwad S Khawaja expressed concern over the UNHCR’s refusal. The bench questioned which law or section enabled such a refusal. When Joya was unable to provide information in the matter, the court asked Additional Advocate General Punjab Razaq A Mirza to look into the police official’s lax attitude.
Punjab police officials said Brig (retired) Mansoor Saeed Sheikh stated he had never met Masood Janjua or held him in custody. “He categorically denied all the allegations levelled against him. Therefore, his arrest is pending,” a report submitted by the officials stated. The report adds a statement from the Ministry of Defence saying no ISI internment centre is established near Zakria masjid in Rawalpindi.
Meanwhile, Additional Attorney General for Pakistan Tariq Khokhar has submitted that the court had directed him to file the affidavits of 11 persons including army officers in this case, but four retired and one serving army officer had not furnished their affidavits. He said the defence ministry had not provided their addresses. The court directed the ministry to furnish the affidavits by February 18. The bench also asked the police to inform them of the law allowing UNHCR to refuse access to Dr Munir. The hearing is adjourned till the 18th.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 11th, 2014.
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