IHC again summons PM in missing students’ case

ISLAMABAD: Expressing indignation that caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-haq Kakar had skipped the hearing of missing Baloch students’ case for the second time, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday again summoned the premier on Feb.28.

Addressing Atorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiani asked him to tell the prime minister to appear before the court on the next date of the case’s hearing. “And also ask the prime minister, whether the defence minister and the interior minister are serious in the discharge of their duties.”

Expressing his dismay at Kakar’s failure to appear in the court, the judge constituted a three-member commitee, comprising DG ISI, DG MI and DG IB, on the issue, and asked it to submit its report in three days.

The judge remarked how unfortunate it was that 12 Baloch students had not been recovered as yet.

The AGP replied as per his information, four had been recovered while eight were still missing.

Justice Kiani asked angrily where the caretaker ministers, the secretary defence, and the secretary interior were. “Ater all, they are government servants. And not above the law.”

“If these people are not able to perform their duties, then they beter be sacked from their posts,” he remarked. Interior Secretary Atab Durrani, however, appeared in the court.

The judge said that it took two years for the government to recover some of the missing citizens against whom there was no case on record. “No case of kidnapping for ransom, murder or any other serious offence was on record,” he said, adding, “Why don’t you realise that ater all their families are looking for them?”

He deplored that a citizen was picked up from sector F-6 of Islamabad without the registration of an FIR.

Justice Kiani asked whether the government ever called intelligence agencies’ heads and questioned them about the whereabouts of missing persons. “We even slapped a fine of Rs10 million on the secretary defence and others, but they appealed the decision.”

Meanwhile, speaking on the occasion, PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat said that the police had raided his home at 1:30 at night, and took away his servant with them.

The judge asked why the police conducted a raid at his home late at night. “Let me tell you that when the police officials will appear in the court, they will say they never did such a thing,” he said, and added, “If a Supreme Court lawyer is facing such a situation, then what kind of agony ordinary people would be going through.”