ISLAMABAD, Nov 19: The Supreme Court hearing case of a missing man was informed on Tuesday that Major Mohammad Ali Ahsan (Haider) of the Military Intelligence (MI), who was allegedly involved in the disappearance, was apparently performing his duty in earthquake-hit Awaran district of Balochistan.
“Sincere efforts are under way for the recovery of the alleged kidnapped person, Tasif Ali alias Danish,” said a police report submitted to a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
The court had taken up an application of Abida Malik, wife of Tasif Ali, seeking production of her husband. She alleged that Major Haider was involved in her husband’s disappearance.
Tasif Ali, stated to be working for Hizbul Mujahideen, had gone missing on Nov 23, 2011. He had reportedly been in contact with Major Haider till his last call to the latter when he was a captain and posted at the MI-918 Mangla Cantonment.
The matter was reported to the Sadiqabad police station on Dec 5 last year. The Lahore High Court heard the case on March 19 this year, but dismissed it.
In her complaint, Ms Abida said harsh words were exchanged during a telephone conversation between her husband and a caller, believed to be Major Haider, at about 4pm on Nov 22, 2012. The following day, Tasif Ali, who had started a business in furniture, went to offer Juma prayers, but did not return.
On Nov 8 this year, the Supreme Court had ignored a government request to constitute a fresh joint team comprising intelligence officials to investigate the matter.
On Tuesday, the court asked Defence Secretary retired Lt Gen Asif Yasin to cooperate with police in their investigation to resolve the controversy.
The police report submitted by DIG Monitoring and Investigation Lahore Abdul Qadir Qayyum said that as per the cellphone data record Major Haider was at Channi Alamsher in Mandra of Rawalpindi district at about 12.12pm on May 10 this year, and in Karachi at about 4.16pm.
The report said that an Air Blue flight (A205) had departed from Rawalpindi to Karachi at 2.24pm and a ticket with a seat No 21A was issued to a passenger named Mohammad Ali Ahsan having the same cellphone.
The investigation team later received an envelope bearing an old visiting card of Capt Ali Ahsan, a letter and transfer orders of Maj Mohammad Ali Ahsan, the report said, adding that the orders issued by the GHQ MS Branch Rawalpindi suggested that Maj Ali Ahsan had been transferred from 918 Int. Bn (Intelligence Battalion) to 61 Punjab on Feb 1, 2013.
The orders were being verified from the authority concerned, the report added.
Advocate retired Col Inamur Raheem, the counsel for Abida Malik, submitted to the court a statement issued by the MI Directorate claiming that Tasif Ali was neither apprehended nor held by the MI as already submitted to the SC through the defence ministry and MI’s counsel Advocate Ibrahim Satti. Besides, it said, no officer with the name of Maj Haider had ever served in the MI Mirpur (AJK).
“Notwithstanding, since an FIR against a serving officer has been registered which is a case to be dealt under the Pakistan Army Act, the authorities concerned may be approached for provision of evidence to proceed further with the case,” it said.
