ISLAMABAD: Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani of the Islamabad High Court expressed displeasure over the Missing Persons Commis­sion during a hea­ring on the recovery of Mudassar Khan, a citizen reportedly missing from Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The court directed the director general of Military Intelligence to submit a sealed report on the matter and adjourned the case to Dec 27.

The assistant attorney general said that the matter pertains to AJK, since Mr Khan went missing from that territory and an FIR has also been registered there. However, Justice Kayani overru­led the objection saying that the pe­­titioner was aggrieved by the com­­mission, which is based in Islamabad.

Justice Kiyani remarked that the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances “neither works nor allows others to work”, questioning its purpose and effectiveness. He suggested that if the commission had been functioning properly, petitioners would not need to approach the IHC for relief. “Let alone continue, such a commission should be shut down,” he said.

The petitioner, Nazima Fatehyab, was represented by lawyer Imaan Mazari, while the Assistant Attor­ney General and a representative of the Ministry of Defence appeared on behalf of the federation.

The court is set to resume the hearing on Dec 27.­

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2024