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Wednesday November 27, 2024

SC seeks report from Balochistan IGP on missing persons

By Sohail Khan
November 12, 2021

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday sought a report from the inspector general of Police (IGP), Balochistan, pertaining to the recovery of Ali Raza and summoned on the next date of hearing the director general National Counterterrorism Authority (NACTA) for not complying with the court order.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed heard a suo motu case of terrorist attacks on the Hazara community. The court summoned the DG NACTA for non-compliance with its order for restoring the bank accounts of the recovered persons and adjourned the hearing for four weeks.

During the course of hearing, the wife of abducted Ali Raza came to the rostrum and informed the court that she is still ignorant of the whereabouts of his husband, adding that she wants justice from the apex court.

Justice Ijazul Ahsen asked the Balochistan IGP about the recovery of Ali Raza. The IGP told the court that a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has been constituted in this regard while samples of a dead body have been sent to the Punjab Forensic Laboratory for the DNA test. He informed the court that after three years, the case has been handed over to the police by the Levies Force, adding that the family of Ali Raza has been receiving calls from Afghanistan. He said they are trying their best to find out Ali Raza.

Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed observed that it is the failure of the police in recovering Ali Raza, adding that the Hazara community was subjected to target-killing. Therefore, strict security measures could be made for its protection.

During the hearing, the counsel appearing for the recovered persons informed the court that the court in its last order had directed restoring the bank accounts of Changez Khan, Imran Ali, Aamir Ali and Mukhtar Hussain. He said the court order has not been implemented yet, adding that it is the stance of the NACTA that the names of the recovered persons are not clearly mentioned in the court order. He told the court that Changez Khan is serving a private bank, Imran Ali Radio Pakistan, Aamir Ali Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) while Mukhtar Hussain is doing a private business.

The counsel told the court that after their abduction, the NACTA had placed the names of four persons in Fourth Schedule that resulted in freezing of their bank accounts while the respective institutions are not giving salaries to these employees.

At this, the chief justice observed that all details have been given in the judgment, how the NACTA could refuse to abide by the court order. The court then issued notices to the DG NACTA, the DG Radio Pakistan, the GM SNGPL and a private bank and adjourned the hearing for four weeks. The court summoned the DG NACTA along with a report stating as to why the court order was not implemented in letter and spirit regarding restoring of bank accounts of the recovered persons.

In 2018, former chief justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar had taken a suo motu notice of terrorist attacks on the Hazara community. He had taken notice on reports widely published in the media that during the last several years, the Hazara community living in Quetta has been a target of repeated terrorist attacks driven by ethnic and sectarian hatred.