Recovery of Noorani’s two brothers: IHC summons IGP Islamabad in response to petition filed by mother

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC), Monday, summoned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad to appear before the court in a petition filed by journalist Ahmad Noorani’s mother for the recovery of Noorani’s two brothers.

A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Raja Anam Ameen Minhas issued the direction in a petition moved by Noorani’s mother Amina Bashir seeking recovery of Noorani’s two brothers.

Noorani’s two brothers, Muhammad Saifur Rehman Haider and Muhammad Ali, went missing from their residence in the early hours of last Wednesday.

Then, she approached the IHC saying that her two sons were “forcibly disappeared” from their Islamabad home at 1:05am by “unknown officials ostensibly belonging” to the country’s intelligence agencies. “It is quite clear that his brothers have been subjected to enforced disappearance as a clear reprisal aimed at silencing Noorani’s journalism,” the petition said.

The petition cited the government, Ministry of Defence, Islamabad IGP, and station house officer (SHO) of Noon Police Station as respondents in the case.

During the hearing, Justice Minhas expressed his dissatisfaction over the report submitted by the SHO and summoned the Islamabad IGP on March 26.

Advocate Imaan Hazir Mazari, representing the petitioner, appeared before the court along with Noorani’s mother and sister.

The mother broke out in tears during the proceedings. She said, “Will the high court be responsible if something happens to my children?”

The SHO submitted his report to the court. He said that they had been using all available resources and the police had carried out geo-fencing, looked into call detail records and checked the cameras near the house.

The IHC judge told the police officer that he should have presented his findings but he did not. The lawyer for the Islamabad police said that there was no application to register a case.

Justice Minhas said that they were not discussing it right now and further said that there was an alternative forum for that purpose. Mazari asked that if the police had not filed a report for five days, then how were they conducting the investigation.

The judge said that he is summoning the IGP and he will conduct an investigation. Mazari claimed that it had been six days since the incident but the police had not done anything yet.

The bench remarked that it can only order as per its authority. Mazari said that the intelligence agencies were to be blamed in this case. She alleged that Noorani’s brothers were kidnapped because of his recent reporting.

Justice Minhas observed that he would not pass any order which could not be implemented. Later, the court deferred hearing of the case till March 26 for further proceedings.

In her petition, Ms Bashir stated that her two sons have been forcibly disappeared from their home in Islamabad’s Sector I-14 in the early hours of Wednesday.

The family accused intelligence agencies of orchestrating the abduction, allegedly in retaliation for Noorani’s recent reporting.

According to their mother, around two dozen unidentified individuals stormed the family’s home, forcibly entered the premises and took her two sons away.

The family also said that the assailants also confiscated their mobile phones and deleted footage of the incident, recorded by one of their family members.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025