ISLAMABAD: Following Barrister Abdullah Mumtaz Kahloon, a PTI candidate, going “missing” from outside the Islamabad International Airport, the joint secretaries of the interior and defense ministries have been summoned by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
PTI candidate who filed nomination papers from PP-76 Sargodha filed a protective bail application, which was heard by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq.
Soon after Barrister Abdullah arrived in Islamabad from overseas, he was reportedly picked up from outside the airport.
On behalf of the government, Additional Attorney General Munawar Iqbal Duggal attended the session.
He informed the high court that Abdullah had been captured on camera leaving the airport and that, without protesting, he had left with three or four people for an undisclosed destination.
CJ Farooq questioned whether or not those people’s faces were visible. He also asked if there were any CCTV cameras in the parking lot of the airport. Duggal retorted that the video does not show the faces of the other individuals accompanying Abdullah.
The chief justice of the IHC questioned the additional attorney general on the authorities’ plan of action. Duggal retorted that in order to find Abdullah, they will write to the institutions that are sensitive.
Judge Farooq chastised the authorities for disobeying the court’s directives. He made a comment on how he would carry out his directives following an obvious transgression. The judge went on to say that he will call a meeting of the joint secretaries of the interior and defense ministries.
It is important to note that before traveling to Pakistan, the “missing” candidate from the previous ruling party had previously obtained protected bail in a Sargodha court case.
The date of the hearing was postponed to January 15.
Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi and other key party figures, including the party’s founder, are behind prison in a number of charges involving the May 9 riots, which the Imran Khan-led party is currently dealing with.
