QUETTA: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry again expressed annoyance on Tuesday over non-recovery of missing persons and said the court would not compromise on this important issue and continue to take up the case till their production before the Supreme Court.
He also expressed displeasure over non-appearance of the interior secretary despite a court order. He directed the secretary to appear before the court on Wednesday in connection with the missing persons’ case.
A three-judge bench headed by the chief justice and comprising Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed had taken up a case relating to missing persons and Balochistan unrest at the Quetta registry of Supreme Court.
Inspector General of Frontier Corps, Balochistan, Maj Gen Ejaz Shahid appeared before the court and remained there for about seven hours.
The court regretted that despite the issuance of several orders, the FC and other security agencies had failed to recover the missing persons whose relatives and heirs had been coming to the court for two years in the hope of their production.
“The FC is neither playing any role in restoring peace and law and order nor producing the missing persons,” the chief justice said, adding that police and Levies were better than the Frontier Corps. The chief justice came down hard on the additional attorney general (AAG) and asked him to produce all missing persons. “If these people are not with you, tell us the names of those who have them. The court will summon them.”
The chief justice said FC chief Maj Gen Shahid appeared before the court and would sit there till the production of all missing persons whose relatives and heirs were standing outside the court.
He said most families of the missing persons alleged that the FC was involved in their disappearance and in some cases there was strong evidence about its involvement.
Addressing the additional attorney general, the CJ said: “You people want to prove that you are very powerful.” The court should not be forced to issue a constitutional order in this regard, he said, adding: “Bring missing persons by using all your resources and satisfy their heirs who have been coming to the court for two years.”
The chief justice turned down a request of the AAG who sought 10 more days for better results in the missing persons’ case.
“The heirs of missing persons are very poor and they cannot visit Islamabad again and again,” the CJ said, adding that if missing people were involved in any crime they should tried in accordance with the law.
When asked by the bench, Amanullah Tareen, Deputy Collector Customs, Balochistan, said he did not know how many vehicles crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan daily. The chief justice expressed annoyance over the reply and said that nobody could imagine how much injustice was being done to Balochistan. “Illegal business worth millions of rupees continues in Chaman causing huge losses to the national exchequer,” he regretted.
The chief justice said illegal weapons and ammunition were being smuggled into the country and Quetta had turned into a ‘volcano’ which could burst anytime. He said nobody was ready to perform but wanted to save his service.
He ordered the Federal Board of Revenue chairman to appear before the court on Wednesday in connection with a case relating to smuggling of illegal vehicles.
The court took notice that some police and other officials transferred to Balochistan from Punjab and Sindh were not joining their duty.
The issue was raised by Chief Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad in the court on Monday.
