Missing Persons
ISLAMABAD: During a hearing involving a dozen petitions related to missing persons cases, Chief Justice Aamer Farooq of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) expressed his embarrassment over the prolonged nature of the issue. The court had been grappling with this matter for several years.
The Chief Justice made these remarks while addressing a case related to the disappearance of journalist Mudassir Naru.
He went missing while on a trip to the northern areas. Naru’s wife had filed the case before the Islamabad High Court five years ago.
Unfortunately, she had passed away during this period and Naru’s young son has been attending court hearings regularly.
The IHC division bench, consisting of Chief Justice Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, emphasized that cases of enforced disappearances were tarnishing Pakistan’s image. They requested the assistance of the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) in resolving this long-standing issue.
While discussing Naru’s case, Chief Justice Farooq expressed his embarrassment over the fact that the matter had been unresolved for five years.
During the proceedings, lawyer Faisal Siddiqui appeared as amicus curiae and presented a report. He informed the bench that he had formulated six questions on the issue and outlined the relief sought from the court.
Some petitioners, he noted, were seeking relief beyond the jurisdiction of the IHC.
When one petitioner mentioned that his two sons had been missing for a prolonged period, Justice Aurangzeb expressed empathy. He stated that he understood the petitioner’s pain and could not forget the plight of missing persons.
He referred to it as an extraordinary case that brought disrepute to the country. Judge said that the state seemed helpless in addressing it.
The bench proposed that the AGP should convene a meeting with the caretaker prime minister to address the issue.
Justice Aurangzeb pointed out that a former prime minister had addressed the court on enforced disappearances but had not taken any action to halt the practice.
Additional Attorney General Barrister Munawar Iqbal Duggal assured the court that the government was serious about the issue. He said the government had established a committee in this regard.
In response, Justice Farooq remarked that if the government was indeed serious, it should demonstrate tangible results.
The court then issued a notice to the AGP and adjourned the hearing.
