ISLAMABAD: Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has noted that state institutions’ disregard for the rule of law is the reason behind enforced disappearances, and he has urged for the prosecution of intelligence agency personnel.
Is it hard for the police to blame the intelligence officers in a follow-up [statement in the FIR]? The IHC judge said, “The time will come when intelligence officers will be prosecuted,” during a hearing on a plea submitted on Wednesday by attorney Imaan Mazari asking for the retrieval of missing Baloch pupils.
According to Justice Kayani, an affidavit guaranteeing that there will be no more forced disappearances must be provided by the prime minister and the secretaries of defense and interior.
“The state’s front face is the police; other institutions are not,” he continued.
According to the IHC judge, anti-terrorism courts handle terrorist trials. “Is it illegal for Baloch extremists to be tried in the same courts as themselves?” Inquired Justice Kayani.
Additionally, the IHC judge requested that the federal government bring back the anti-terrorism courts in Balochistan so that the accused might stand justice. She also stated that the petitioners who were trying to find missing Baloch students did not wish to shield terrorists.
The judge stated, “Only in Pakistan is the concept of missing persons found; it is not found in other countries.”
Concerns regarding the welfare of those who have recovered were also voiced by the IHC judge throughout the hearing.
“After I recovered, no missing Baloch person ever came before me…I’m not sure how well the folks who have recovered are doing.
The petitioner Mazari was also questioned by the IHC judge about the status of the protesters’ sit-in against enforced disappearances.
Mazari reported to the court that, in violation of the court’s orders, the sit-in by the Baloch demonstrators was still ongoing and that they were being mistreated.
The case hearing was postponed by the IHC until February 13.
