RAWALPINDI: On Monday, the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) summoned the superintendent of Adiala Jail and directed the district police officer to submit an affidavit regarding a petition for the recovery of Deputy Superintendent Mohammad Akram, who went missing from Adiala Jail Officers’ Colony.
The petition claims that Deputy Superintendent Mohammad Akram was allegedly abducted by an intelligence agency from his residence in the Officers’ Colony. Media reports suggest that Akram was detained by law enforcement on accusations of ‘facilitating PTI founder as a messenger.’
Although Akram had been transferred from Adiala Jail in June, he remained in the Officers’ Colony with his family. The jail administration was reportedly unaware of his disappearance, according to a Punjab government official’s statement to the LHC.
Justice Mohammad Raza Qureshi of the LHC’s Rawalpindi bench reviewed the petition last week, which was filed by Akram’s wife, Memoona Riaz, through her lawyer Imaan Mazari. Following a preliminary hearing, the court issued notices to the relevant parties.
Additional Advocate General Malik Amjad Ali Khan, representing the jail authorities, submitted a report stating that the jail administration had no knowledge of Akram’s disappearance because the Officers’ Colony is not part of the jail premises. The report also noted that Akram had been transferred out of Adiala in June and that the incident had not been reported to the jail authorities.
The Saddar Beroni Police SHO informed the court that Memoona Riaz had not filed a formal complaint regarding her husband’s alleged abduction.
Advocate Mazari informed the court that Akram was forcibly taken from Adiala Jail Officers’ Colony on August 14 at 5 a.m. by individuals claiming to be from law enforcement. The petition alleges that masked personnel arrived in a Vigo, informed Riaz that they were “with the Department/Mehekma,” and demanded that she send her husband outside.
Akram went to the gate to inform the officials that he would accompany them after changing clothes. However, the armed men persisted, and he returned with his family. The children witnessed the abduction, with Akram being dragged away despite his request to first speak with the jail superintendent. His elder son attempted to record the incident on his cellphone, but it was broken after the phone was thrown in response to intimidation.
The petition further claims that on the night of August 15, unidentified individuals raided Akram’s house again without presenting warrants and seized electronic devices. Since his abduction, Akram’s whereabouts have remained unknown. The petition requests the court to order the authorities to trace and produce Akram before the court.
