Rise in missing persons’ cases: PHC summons KP CM to explain position

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Saturday summoned the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister to explain his position on the rising number of cases of missing persons in the province and alleged involvement of police and Counter-Terrorism Department in the return of missing individuals after taking heavy bribes from relatives.

The PHC single bench of Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim directed Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to appear in court on July 22 to explain the government’s position on stemming the rising incidents of disappearances of people and role of police and CTD personnel in this regard.

The court observed that on the one hand, cases of missing persons were on the rise in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while on the other hand, police and CTD were fleecing their relatives by taking huge bribes and inflicting mental agony on them.

The PHC CJ remarked that there were numerous complaints against the police and CTD for their involvement in missing persons cases and then taking money from relatives for their release.

He said the court had no other option but to summon the chief executive of the province to explain that being an elected chief minister what measures had been taken for controlling the rising incidents of missing persons and reining in the personnel of police and CTD.

Earlier, Malik Sarfaraz Khan, advocate, the counsel for petitioner Hazrat Nabi, a resident of Swabi district, informed the court that his client’s brother Abdul Said was arrested by the cops of Zaida Police Station, Swabi, from Khyber Super Market in Gulberg, Saddar, on June 10 without any case against him.

He argued that he was still in the custody of police in Zaida after 20 days, and now the station house officer of the said police station was demanding Rs7 million for his release.

He pleaded that the SHO had told his client to pay Rs7 million or his brother would not be released.