Supreme Court to hear missing persons case

ISLAMABAD: Despite the order of the Supreme Court, 19 Frontier Corps officials have not shown up before the Crime Investigation Department Deputy Inspector General in Quetta on Sunday.

Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry while hearing the missing persons’ case in the Supreme Court Karachi Registry, ordered 19 FC officials to appear before the CID DG Quetta.

The court was told by FC Law Officer Maj Nadeem that the officials in question were now in the army. The CJ replied that the court knew that; if they were army officials, GHQ should be asked to present them before the CID.

These officials had neither turned up before the CID nor submitted any reply. The Balochistan government has now decided to seek more time from the court in the case of 35 missing persons. It is expected that the provincial government would file a formal plea in this connection today (Monday).

A bench led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Amir Hani Muslim would hear the case. The CJ had already made it clear in Karachi that this case would be heard on a daily basis.

The bench has also summoned Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Defence Secretary Asif Yaseen Malik, the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General. Khawaja Asif had sought time over the issue of missing persons during the hearing of case at Supreme Court’s Karachi registry.