The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday ordered the defence secretary to provide details of the people kept in detention centers across the country, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
During the hearing of the petitions, seeking the recovery of missing persons, the SHC also ordered the DIG investigation to appear in court in person besides ordering the police and other law-enforcement agencies (LEAs) to submit their reports in four weeks.
Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto, on the occasion, remarked it was unfortunate that the missing persons could not be traced despite the constitution of several joint investigation teams (JITs) and Taskforce for the purpose. He directed the secretary defence to submit a personal affidavit in the event of his failure to submit the progress report in these cases. The government’s lawyer informed that the mystery surrounding the disappearances of Ismael, Idrees and others had been solved as it had now been established that their cases were of involuntary disappearances. “A summary has also been approved to monetarily assist the families of these individuals,” he added. Justice Phulpoto asked the lawyer what steps the government had taken following the last hearing of the case. The investigation officer (IO) informed that letters were written to the Edhi Foundation, Chipa and other welfare organizations to know the whereabouts of these persons. “But it was found out that not a single of them was residing in any center run by these organizations.” The IO, however, said that the CPLC and some other LEAs did not respond to these letters. The court, on the occasion, expressed its strong displeasure over the government’s failure to take concrete steps for the recovery of Umar Siddiqui, who had gone missing in 2018.
