The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday ordered police and intelligence agencies to recover missing activist Raza Khan and present him in court as soon as possible.
Raza, a convener of Aghaz-i-Dosti, a friendship initiative between the youth of India and Pakistan, was picked up from his residence in Model Colony earlier this month. The area falls under the ambit of the Naseerabad Police Station.
Activists belonging to various rights groups, along with friends and family, have been agitating for the activist's release. They have condemned the ‘enforced disappearance’ of activists and attempts to silence and harass those speaking up for peace and human rights.
Justice Qazi Amin Ahmed, who was hearing a petition filed by Hamid Nasir Mahmood, Raza's brother, asked Senior Superintendent of Police Rizwan Gondal to provide the LHC details of all missing persons cases.
International rights organisation Amnesty International is among those demanding that the Pakistani government immediately ensure Raza's recovery.
"Scarcely does a week go by without Amnesty International receiving reports of people going missing in Pakistan," a statement issued by the organisation said earlier.
"Many of them may have been subjected to enforced disappearances, which is a crime under international law."
