DNA
ISLAMABAD – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday sought a report from the committee comprising officers of the three agencies including Inter Services Intelligence Agency (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) in the matter related to the missing persons.
The committee tasked with investigating the cases of missing persons is consisting of Brigadier Shamsher, Brigadier Usman and Qazi Jamilur Rehman and the two Brigadiers are the members while Qazi the Joint Director General of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) is convener of it.
These directions were issued by a larger bench of the IHC headed by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and comprised of Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri and Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir. The IHC Chief Justice has constituted the larger bench to conduct hearing of the cases related to missing persons.
During the hearing, Justice Kayani remarked that as it was the first hearing by the larger bench, a procedure would need to be established. He emphasized the need for specific directions based on the nature of each case, as the larger bench was constituted by the Chief Justice to address the missing persons cases.
Justice Kayani noted that the court had previously formed a committee comprising the Directors-General of ISI, IB, and MI. However, upon the federal government’s request, the committee’s composition was to be changed.
At this, a representative from the Ministry of Defence informed the court that two Brigadiers from ISI and MI have been nominated, while the IB representative stated that Joint Director General Qazi Jamil ur Rehman would serve as the convener of the committee.
Iman Mazari Advocate the counsel for the Baloch missing persons informed the bench that despite the undertaking of the Attorney General, Baloch students are still being forcibly disappeared and 14 more Baloch students have been forcibly disappeared.
At this, Justice Jahangiri remarked that if the highest law officer of the country gave an undertaking and yet people are being disappeared forcibly. He asked that what are the effects of the Attorney General’s statement.
Then, the bench called the registrar of the Enforced Missing Persons Commission to the rostrum and said that tell the court about the missing person Feroze Ahmed. Justice Kayani said that it has been two years and still they are not able to settle this question that how the commission should look into this matter?
The Registrar of the commission said that Major-level officers represent the secret agencies in the Commission on Enforced Disappearances.
The bench said that a separate profile of each case should be made and it should be told who is appearing from the secret agencies.
Representative of the Ministry of Defence raised the question over jurisdiction of the IHC larger bench. He added that the cases of others provinces did not fall in the ambit of the IHC.
Justice Jahangiri said that the head offices of the Ministry of Defense and intelligence agencies are also in Islamabad. Justice Kayani said that he loves the respect of the agencies, but they should also think about their own respect.
The bench rejected the objection of the Defence Ministry and asked it to challenge the bench before the Supreme Court.
The bench also expressed its annoyance over the Registrar of the Commission and sought the details of expenses of it.
Later, the bench deferred hearing of the case till September 26 for further proceedings.
