PESHAWAR: An official of Pakistan Army’s judge advocate general (JAG) branch informed the Peshawar High Court on Thursday that several of militants in Swat Valley had rejoined their groups despite de-radicalisation by security forces.
An assistant director of JAG Branch, Colonel Noor Ahmad, informed a two-member bench that security forces had been spending money and resources on de-briefing and de-radicalisation of militants and had even provided them with money for restarting new lives, but they had reports that several of them had joined back militant outfits.
The official was responding to queries put by PHC Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Azmatullah Malik during the hearing into several habeas corpus petitions pertaining to missing persons.
The chief justice observed that the security forces’ de-radicalisation programme might be defective due to which these people returned to their former comrades.
He also said security forces should hire services of competent psychologists and psychiatrists and for that purpose the government should provide them with appropriate funds.
“How is it possible that youngsters brainwashed by ignorant clerics could not be reformed by competent psychologists,” he asked.
Mother of a missing taxi driver made a desperate appeal to the court for the recovery of her son and said if that didn’t happen, she would leave his wife and children at the court for being unable to face them and keep them on false hopes and promises anymore.
Clad in traditional shuttlecock burqa, the woman said the wife and children of her son, Sanam Gul, stayed awake at night in the hope that he would return back.
“We should be at least told whether he is dead or alive following which we will never disturb the court,” she said.
The woman was accompanied by her husband, Redi Gul, who is petitioner in the case.
Mr Redi of Kajori area of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency alleged that his son was picked up at Hayatabad Township in June 2011 by local police and since his whereabouts had been unknown.
The court asked deputy attorney general Mohammad Iqbal Mohmand why the government had not been making public the whereabouts of the detainees.
It observed that Action (In Aid Of Civil Power) Regulation had been introduced which was a tough law and under it such like persons could be detained.
Mr Mohmand said several of the missing persons had returned home and only 70 to 80 cases were left. However, the court disputed the figures given by him observing that still a large number of cases were pending with the court.
The court directed him to try to trace out Mr Sanam Gul.
It summoned the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa advocate general, Asadullah Khan Chamkani, and asked him about the outcome of the Wednesday’s meeting of the apex committee comprising the governor, chief minister and Peshawar Corps commander.
Mr Chamkani presented details about the meeting saying threadbare discussion took place on the issue with the government saying it’ll follow court orders.
The court asked if the meeting was only for media consumption or any concrete plan was made to attend to the issue.
Mr Chamkani said some detainees were hardened militants and that principal of a school in Khyber Agency had informed security agencies in custody that chemicals meant for laboratory in his school were provided to militants by him.
The court observed that it had no sympathies for militants and that even suspects cleared by security forces were bailed out by courts after attaching tough conditions to their release.
Meanwhile, the court allowed more time to the government for tracing whereabouts of two minor brothers allegedly taken into custody from their school at Lal Jan Kalae in Bara on January 7, 2011.
The petition regarding their detention is filed by their mother, Shan Bibi.
The two, Said Nazeem and Mohammad Ijaz, were 11 and 12 respectively at the time of their arrest.
The defence ministry has already informed the court that detainees were not in custody of any of the agencies functioning under its supervision.
In another petition filed by Imran Khan, brother of missing lawyer Aurangzeb Khan, the court summoned the commandant of elite police force and head of criminal investigation department (CID).
The petitioner alleged that the lawyer was picked up by security forces at a checkpost on July 14, 2011, along with another lawyer Fazal Ilahai Khan, who was later on freed.
Advocate Fazal Ilahi informed the court that he and Mr Aurangzeb were taken away either by elite force or CID not security forces. Hearing into the case was later adjourned for January 14.
The court also disposed of another petition filed by a resident of Nowshera, Gul Naz, who said her son, Kamran, was arrested by plainclothesmen on January 26, 2010, in Badrashi area of Nowshera.
The petitioner’s lawyer, Asthagfirullah Khan, informed the court that another petition of the woman had been pending with the commission of missing persons in Islamabad.
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