News
Thursday, October 13, 2011
SC takes up six cases of missing persons today
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) has decided to take up six chronic cases of missing persons today (Thursday).
These cases include Attiqur Rehman, Bangalzai, Dr Abdi Sharif, Mansoor Ahmed, Abdul Karim Mehmood and Haroon and two cases of Lal Masjid namely Mohammad Ali and Tahir Farooq. The court on Wednesday referred the cases of Masood Janjua and Faisal Faraz to Judicial Inquiry Commission (JIC) on missing persons, as there was contradiction in the prosecutors and witnesses’ statements.
A three-member bench of the apex court, comprising Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, is hearing the cases of missing persons.
During the hearing, the court directed Additional Advocate General (AAG) KK Agha to furnish the record of all missing persons’ cases for decide which cases should be referred to JIC and which cases will be heard by the court.
Agha told the court that Janjua and Faraz had close contacts with al-Qaeda member Zahid Al Misry and according to their reports both had been killed in Afghanistan.
Janjua and Faraz disappeared on July 30, 2005. Since then their families have not seen them. According to Amna Masood Janjua, chairperson of Defence of Human Right of Pakistan (DHR), her husband was in the custody of Inter Service Intelligence (ISI).
The learned counsel said if Ms Amna had any reservation, she should file a criminal case with the police station regarding disappearance of her spouse and Faraz so that the facts could come to the surface. “No one can harm you if Almighty Allah is with you,” Justice Jawwad remarked:
The DHR chairperson said, “Why the government wanted to put me in more troubles,” adding, after registering an FIR against ISI whether I would remain in peace? She said that the federation counsel was misleading and cheating the whole nation. Justice Jawwad pointed out that they were trying to find out the truth. Amna informed the court that according to an affidavit, given by one Dr Imran to Joint Investigation Team (JIT), Faraz was in the custody of ISI.
Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Azhar Hameed Khokar however, told the court that nothing like this was mentioned in the JIT report. He further said that an affidavit, filed in 2008 lacks such information.
Earlier, Peshawar Superintendent of Police Muhammad Umar submitted a report regarding the disappearance of persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. But the court rejected it, saying the police have failed to perform its duties for the recovery of missing persons.
Justice Zahir Jamali said that in 20 months the Peshawar police were able to record the statement of missing person Abdul Rehman. Agha informed the court that Abdur Rehman Al-Qoomi, an Algerian citizen, was no more a missing person. Agha said he had called his wife Ulfat from Algeria, who has given her statement on oath. The court asked the AAG to produce the record of phone call.
About another missing person, Fazal Rabi Pirzada, the investigation officer informed the court that according to Fazal’s second wife he was in United States. The court asked him to produce the record of Fazal’s second marriage. The court adjourned the hearing till today (Thursday).
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk