PHC issues notices in missing persons’ cases

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday issued notices to the federal and provincial governments, seeking their response in multiple cases pertaining to the recovery of missing persons.

The bench, headed by Chief Justice SM Atique Shah, was hearing a petition about the disappearance of a man running a medicine business. During the hearing, Deputy Attorney General Gohar Rehman Khattak and Additional Advocate General Syed Sikandar Hayat Shah appeared before the court.

The petitioner’s counsel, Adeel Butt, informed the court that his client’s husband, who was associated with the medicine trade, had been missing for the past one and a half years. Despite efforts to locate him, his family had been unable to trace his whereabouts, he informed the court.

The chief justice inquired about the timeline of the disappearance, to which the counsel responded that the man had been missing since 2023. The additional advocate general stated that the investigating officer was present in court and could provide further details about the case.

The investigating officer informed the court that the missing person used to collect money from people, promising profits in return, but had been untraceable ever since.The chief justice directed the investigation officer to submit a report containing all relevant details by the next hearing.

In another case, the bench heard a petition about the disappearance of one Imdadullah, a resident of Hayatabad, Peshawar, who had reportedly been missing since 2016. The petitioner’s lawyer told the court that despite repeated requests, authorities had failed to provide a report on the case.

The investigating officer stated that an FIR was registered on the recommendation of the commission on missing persons. He said that Imdadullah had been working as a driver with the Frontier Works Organization for eight years before he went missing. The officer added that relevant intelligence agencies had been contacted, but no positive response had been received so far.

The chief justice ordered the submission of an updated report in the next hearing, detailing any progress made so far. The court directed both federal and provincial authorities to submit reports on the matter and adjourned the hearing.In addition, the bench sought responses from the governments in 10 other petitions related to missing persons.