PESHAWAR, Sept 12: Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan has declined to meet a delegation of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, which is presently on a 10-day visit to Pakistan.

The visiting mission was scheduled to meet him during its visit to Peshawar on Sept 17. However, the chief justice announced during hearing of cases of missing persons on Wednesday that he had declined to meet the delegation.

“This is our internal affair and we will resolve it mutually,” the chief justice observed, adding that there was no need to publicise this issue before the entire world.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry had earlier also declined to hold a meeting with the UN group.

The group is scheduled to visit various parts of the country and meet with officials as well as representatives of civil society, relatives of disappeared persons and representatives of relevant UN agencies. The experts will gather information on cases of enforced disappearances pending before the working group and study the measures adopted by the State to prevent such incidents. A final report on the mission will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in 2013.

Meanwhile, the high court on Wednesday directed the ministry of defence to submit sworn affidavits with the replies submitted in scores of missing persons’ cases.

A two-member bench comprising the chief justice and Mrs Justice Irshad Qaiser expressed reservations about the replies submitted by representatives of ministry of defence  in around 52 habeas corpus petitions fixed for hearing.

The replies carrying signature of federal secretary defence stated that the alleged detainees were not in custody of any intelligence agency functioning under the supervision of defence ministry.

The bench observed that under the rules the secretary had to submit sworn affidavits with these replies so that any official could be held accountable if a misstatement was proved.

The director (legal) of defence ministry, wing commander Mohammad Irfan, and another official commander Shahbaz Ahmad sought more time from the court for submitting sworn affidavits on behalf of the secretary.

Deputy attorney general Mohammad Iqbal Mohmand requested the bench to allow any other senior official to visit the high court for furnishing the affidavits on behalf of the secretary. The bench directed that any senior officer could appear on his behalf and adjourned the hearing till Oct 2.

Large number of relatives of missing persons, including women and children, were present at the high court.—Bureau Report