ISLAMABAD, Dec 1: The Supreme Court has expressed disappointment that only 20 of a total of 41 people missing for several years have so far been found.
The note of disappointment from the apex court came as a government representative failed to satisfy the court on the whereabouts of the 21 persons still missing, and claimed that they were not in the custody of security agencies.
A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, Justice Mohammed Nawaz Abbasi and Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad, resumed hearing in the case filed by Mrs Amina Masood Janjua, whose husband is among those still missing.
The aggrieved families have taken to streets; staged protest demonstrations in front of the Parliament House, the Supreme Court, offices of the various human rights organisations; and held meetings with ministers and other government officials, but to no avail. On November 10, the apex court had given a stern warning to the government and set December 1 deadline for providing complete details of the 41 missing persons.
"You have not done enough," observed the chief justice when the court was told that hectic efforts had been made with the involvement of the Inter Services Intelligence, Military Intelligence, Intelligence Bureau, police and provincial home secretaries to trace the missing persons. The government also submitted a list in this regard.
Extensive efforts should be made to find these citizens of Pakistan and this was the responsibility of the federal government, said the chief justice.
The court also directed Ms Janjua, the complainant, to get affidavits from the released people who had claimed to see other missing persons in the custody of security agencies.
Ms Janjua also told the court that some ISI men had approached her twice, claiming that her husband was detained in the Sector I-9 of Islamabad and later shifted to the army detention centre in Shaukat Qilla, Kashmir.
Director Operations of the Ministry of Interior Col Imran Yaqoob told the court that efforts had been made at the highest level but the whereabouts of Mr Janjua could not be ascertained. He might have gone to Afghanistan, he suspected.
The court took exception of Col Imran’s suggestion that the case should be disposed of, and asked who he was to demand closure of the case.
"Tomorrow you will ask for closing the doors of the Supreme Court itself," the chief justice said. He told him not to force the court to issue some strict orders, he said.
Ms Janjua informed the court that seven persons had reached home. They are Imran Shamsher arrested on August 14, 2004 from Hyderabad; Umer Siddique arrested along with his father on August 4, 2004; Ali Sher arrested on May 2, 2005 from Mardan; Mohammed Tariq arrested on June 14, 2004 from Gujranwala; Atif Idrees arrested on August 3, 2004 from Lahore; and prayer leader Hidayatullah arrested on August 7, 2004 from Karachi.
Mohammed Nizam, father of Mohammed Tariq, later told newsmen that during detention, his son was tortured to divulge the whereabouts of Abu Farraj Al Libbi, who was responsible for Al Qaeda’s operational planning and execution in Pakistan and was arrested later, on May 3, 2005.
The list submitted by Ms Janjua also mentioned the names of a few officers who used to work in sensitive security departments of the government.
The persons still missing are: Masood Ahmed Janjua (educationist), Faisal Faraz (mechanical engineer), Attiqur Rehman (senior scientific officer), Majid Khan (software engineer) Mohammed Mansoor (computer expert), Mohammed Altaf (electrician), Saifullah Piracha (businessmen), Uzair Piracha, (student of MBA), Hafiz Abdul Basit (teacher), Saifullah Akhtar (transporter), Obaidullah (teacher), Mulik Zulfikar (boxer), Abid Raza (construction business), Omer Bin Razzaq (electrician), Gul Mohammed (building contractor), Mohammed Aslam Zahid (prayer leader in army), Mohammed Tariq, Dr Ali Raza, Dr Abid Sherif, Asad Mohammed Shah and Saifur Rehman.
