Poet’s disappearance case: IHC summons Defence, Interior secretaries today

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) summoned the secretary Defence and the secretary Interior to appear before the court on Tuesday (today) in the case of the disappearance of poet Farhad.

A single bench of Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani on Monday heard the missing poet Ahmed Farhad case, wherein, his wife moved the court through lawyers, Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha for the recovery of her husband.

During the hearing, Mazari told the court that Ahmed Farhad’s wife Urooj Zainab received a WhatsApp call and was asked to withdraw her application in the court and give a statement that Ahmed Farhad had gone of his own free will. She said that this is clearly a case of enforced disappearance.

At this, Justice Kayani said that now the person must be recovered. He asked whether the abductee was a terrorist or involved in kidnapping for ransom case and directed SSP Zafar to produce Farhad in the court.

He remarked that everyone has to bear the punishment for what the institutions are doing. Additional Attorney General Barrister Munawar Iqbal Duggal said that the entire institution could not be held responsible, adding that he had given a complete briefing to the defence secretary.

Justice Kayani said that the federal government needed to change people’s perception regarding the institutions. Justice Kayani said that do not take issues to the point where it becomes impossible for institutions to survive. An official from the Ministry of Defence requested for two days to recover the poet.

Justice Kayani asked the official to contact the higher authorities and submit a reply to the courts by 3pm, otherwise, he warned that he would issue the order.

When the hearing started, the representative of the Ministry of Defence appeared in the court and Justice Kayani asked the lawyer of the Ministry of Defence whether you have ever been abducted.

Then, the judge told the investigating police officer to record statements from the ISI sector commander for Islamabad under Section 161 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

He stated that what the institutions were doing was an abuse of authority. Later, AAG Duggal requested the courts to give an extension till tomorrow to produce the abductee.

“ISI has said that they do not have him,” Duggal said. He added that they have submitted an FIR. To which, Justice Kayani responded: “Have you done us a favour by filing an FIR?”

Justice Kayani said the matter would go beyond the abduction case once he gave the order. He also remarked that this is not a simple matter that you abduct anyone whenever you want and added that this practice should be stopped.

The court summoned the secretary of Defence and the secretary of Interior on Tuesday (today) at 3 pm, saying that the country will either be run as per the law or the way of agencies.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024