PHC to hear missing person’s case tomorrow

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has fixed a petition seeking recovery of a citizen for tomorrow (Monday).

According to the cause list, the court has already summoned the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister to explain his position on the rising number of cases of missing persons in the province.

Expressing annoyance over the rising incident of disappearances of citizens, the PHC single bench of Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim had issued directives to chief executive of the province to appear in court and explain his position on this serious matter and the alleged involvement of police and Counter-Terrorism Department in such incidents.

Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur is likely to appear in court tomorrow to clear his position and steps taken by the government for stemming the rising incidents of disappearances of people and role of police and CTD personnel in this regard.

The court had 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 had 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.

It may be mentioned that the court observations came in the case of petitioner Hazrat Nabi, a resident of Swabi district, whose lawyer had informed the bench 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 had 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 had pleaded that the SHO had told his client to pay Rs7 million or his brother would not be released.