News
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Spymasters ‘refuse’ to produce missing prisoners before SC* Court again directs ISI, MI DGs, KP chief secy to ensure production of 7 prisoners picked up from outside Adiala Jail
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Defying the Supreme Court’s order, the country’s top spy agencies on Friday failed to produce seven missing prisoners before the court. The Supreme Court has again directed the directors general of ISI and MI, as well as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary to ensure presence of the missing prisoners, who were allegedly picked up by them from outside Adiala Jail, on February 13.
A three-member SC bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, while hearing the petition filed by Rohaifa, the mother of three of the prisoners, also issued a notice to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor through the chief secretary to apprise the bench as to whether an oversight board had been constituted in light of Article 14 of the Actions in Aid of Civil Power Regulation, 2011, and if so, he should get a report from the board regarding the prisoners’ condition, if they had visited the men at the internment centre.
The court, in its order, said that Raja Irshad, counsel for the ISI and MI – appearing on behalf of the respondents along with Joint Secretary Chaudhry Muhammad Yaqoob and Defence Ministry Director (Legal) Commander Hussain Shahbaz – was directed to produce the seven remaining missing prisoners before the court.
The court remarked that the counsel had earlier stated on behalf of the respondents that the missing prisoners had been removed from Adiala Jail for a trial under the Army Act. Reportedly, he had said, that four of them – Muhammad Amir, Tahseenullah, Said Arab and Abdul Saboor – had died. Therefore, the court ordered the respondents, including the KP chief secretary, to ensure production of the remaining prisoners before the court on February 13.
At the outset of the hearing, Raja Irshad, appearing before the bench, said that four detainees had died, while four others were currently under treatment at Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital. The remaining three were being kept at a detention facility in Parachinar so they could not be presented in the court, he added.
The court expressed dismay and said that it had clearly directed for the missing prisoners to be produced. It directed the counsel to ensure the presence of the missing prisoners, and that they could wait until late on Friday. However, the counsel failed to present the prisoners.
Upon this, Attorney General for Pakistan Maulvi Anwarul Haq stated that the counsel had informed him that the detainees in Parachinar could not be presented as they had to cover a long distance, and at the same time, he also informed that the detainees reportedly admitted at the Lady Reading Hospital should also be presented along with them.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk