The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday gave police a three-day ultimatum to recover the deputy director of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), who was allegedly abducted earlier this month.

The court issued the directives while presiding over the hearing of a plea filed by Rozina Usman for the recovery of her husband Muhammad Usman, who she has alleged was taken away by four armed individuals on October 14.

IHC Justice Muhammad Azam Khan heard the petition while Advocate Raja Rizwan Abbasi appeared in court on behalf of the wife.

During the hearing, the court directed that if police failed to recover the official within three days, the NCCIA central director and the Islamabad inspector general should appear in court in person.

Meanwhile, Abbasi told the court that he was unaware of the whereabouts of his client. “I don’t know where the petitioner is; I fear she may have also been abducted,” Abbasi told the court.

He added that the petitioner had called him saying she was being pressured to withdraw the petition.

“The petitioner’s husband was working on important cases and was kidnapped in a white Corolla,” the advocate said, adding that now the petitioner’s phone was also off and there had been no contact with her. He urged the court to summon the NCCIA director and Islamabad police chief.

Abbasi further contended that the CCTV footage showed that Usman was allegedly abducted in a vehicle which had a fake number plate.

To this, Justice Khan asked, “If the vehicle’s number plate is suspicious, how was it being driven around in Islamabad?”

He termed the situation a “very serious matter”, adding that there were checkpoints and CCTV cameras in the capital. He directed that calls being made to pressure the petitioner be traced using call data records.

Meanwhile, the assistant attorney general told the court that a case pertaining to the incident has been registered. He urged the court to give police time to carry out the investigation.

Petition

In the petition, Rozina had named the government of Pakistan via the interior ministry secretary, the NCCIA director general and NCCIA central director, the Islamabad police chief, the sub-divisional police officer and station house officer of Shams Colony Police Station — where a case has been registered — and the state as respondents.

The petition, and a copy is available with Dawn.com, was filed through Advocate Abbasi under article 199 (Jurisdiction of High Court) of the Constitution.

Rozina contended that she had not received any call or message pertaining to her husband, adding that it was the “talk of the town that it is the malicious act of some of the state agencies who transgress their jurisdiction”.

The petitioner added that while the confinement and abduction of any individual was unlawful and created “some sense of insecurity”, for it to happen with a government official spread more fear and insecurity.

She pleaded that it was the responsibility of the Islamabad police chief, and the sub-divisional police officer and station house officer of Shams Colony Police Station to trace the whereabouts of her husband and set him free if he had not committed any offence or to produce him before a court if he had. She also said that she had filed an application at the Shams Police Station but no action had been taken thus far.

She urged the court to summon the interior secretary in person and direct him to adopt every possible endeavour for her husband’s recovery.

A first information report of the incident, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was registered at the Shams Colony Police Station on October 14 on Rozina’s complaint under section 365 (Kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Additional input from Shakeel Qarar