PESHAWAR:
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday disposed of two petitions regarding the recovery of missing persons after the persons returned home, while two cases were referred to the Commission of Inquiry into Enforced Disappearances. The court also issued notices to the federal and provincial governments in two additional petitions seeking detailed responses.
A single bench headed by Supreme Court Justice SM Atiq Shah presided over the hearing during which the Additional Solicitor General, Deputy Solicitor General and liaison officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Police appeared before the court.
During the hearing of a petition filed by a woman who wanted her children back, the Additional Solicitor General informed the court that the children had been taken to Karachi by their father. He said the local SHO had traced the father to Karachi but he fled with the children and switched off his phone. The Chief Justice directed that the matter be taken up with the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and the CCPO and discussed with the Advocate General Sindh, with a detailed report to be submitted.
In another case regarding a missing lawyer, the petitioner’s lawyer told the court that lawyer Umar Jadoon, who practices in Abbottabad and Peshawar, had been picked up outside the PHC. When asked why he was detained, the lawyer stated that the lawyer had expressed support for Gaza on social media, after which he allegedly disappeared. The court issued notices to both federal and provincial authorities directing them to file responses and referred the case to the Missing Persons Commission.
The bench disposed of two petitions after the missing persons returned home.
