ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) senior puisne judge Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani said that the intelligence agencies should shed the perception of their involvement in forced abductions.
The IHC judge was hearing a petition seeking the recovery of Kashmiri poet Ahmed Farhad Shah.Shah was allegedly abducted from his home last week. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan had called on the authorities for his immediate release.
A petition was filed by Shah’s wife in the IHC last Wednesday, requesting that he be found and produced before the court and to identify, investigate and prosecute those responsible for his disappearance.
Justice Kayani had conducted the first hearing on the matter and ordered Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jameel Zafar to retrieve Shah at any cost, warning that he would otherwise summon the defence secretary. The judge had issued a notice to the defence secretary in the next hearing.
Advocates Imaan Zainab Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha were present in court today to represent Shah’s wife.Mazari said that Shah had been missing since last week.She said that they had received a WhatsApp call from Shah’s number on May 17 asking them to withdraw their request.
“Three drafts were shared between us and these people […] They told us to tell you that he had gone to the court himself,” Mazari said.“Ahmed Farhad did not come back so we are not withdrawing the application,” she added.
Justice Kayani questioned whether the abductee was a terrorist or involved in kidnapping for ransom.He directed SSP Zafar to produce Shah in court.
“Everyone has to bear the punishment for what the institutions are doing. I want the man (Shah) from the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence). You should inform the DG (director general) ISI [Nadeem Anjum] that the man should be produced at any cost. Remove the label from yourself that you abduct [people],” he said.
Additional Attorney General (AAG) Barrister Munawar Iqbal Duggal said the entire institution could not be held responsible, adding that he had given a complete briefing to the defence secretary.
