Missing persons: secretary defence directed to produce Yasin and others today

Chief Justice Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry here on Monday directed secretary defence to produce Yasin Shah of Mardan on Tuesday (today) and others or appear in person before the court. The CJP while hearing different petitions for alleged missing persons observed it appeared that the incumbent government was following footsteps of its predecessor as abduction of the citizens had not been stopped.
CJP remarked that the court had been asking the authorities for the last ten years to mend their ways but no importance had been given to the directions.
Justice Jawad S Khwaja pointed out that Attorney General had undertaken before the court that this practice would be end and the government was going to evolve a policy about missing persons but nothing happened so far.
The CJP was heading a three-member bench of the Supreme Court at Lahore registry along with Justice Jawad S Khwaja and Justice Amir Hani Muslim.
A senior joint secretary and director legal of the defence ministry appeared before the court flanked by an Additional Attorney General appeared before the court in Yasin Shah case, allegedly detained by the army.
The director legal told to the court that the alleged missing person was not in the custody of the army and efforts were being made to trace his whereabouts.
The bench, however, pointed out that Superintendent of Malakand Internment Centre Ataullah had submitted a statement before Peshawar High Court two years back that the army had handed over 35 persons to him and later took them from the internment centre. He had admitted in the statement that Yasin Shah was among those detainees. The CJP warned the director legal of punishment if he was found guilty of making a false statement.
The CJP observed that one of them superintendent of the internment centre or the defence ministry was misleading the court.
The director legal sought more time from the court, however, the Chief Justice issued order for the secretary defence to ensure production of the detainee or appear in person before the court to face the consequences.
Hearing another case about alleged disappearance of Advocate Zaheer Gondal of Rawalpindi the bench ordered city police officer Akhtar Laleka to produce the lawyer on next hearing. Initially, the bench adjourned the matter for one-day, however, admitting a request of the officer the next hearing will be resumed at principal seat Islamabad on December 2.