The federal government asked the provinces and all law enforcement agencies (LEAs) to provide latest information regarding the missing persons so that the matter should be resolved immediately. The interior ministry has issued directives to provinces and law enforcement agencies for immediate action to provide complete data of the missing persons, informed sources told Business Recorder on Saturday.
The ministry has also sought record of the under trial prisoners lodged in different jails across the country, besides record of the people who are in different lock ups without registration of cases against them, sources revealed.
Federal government, particularly interior ministry is facing utter embarrassment in Supreme Court of Pakistan where many petitions are pending regarding the missing persons. Supreme Court has asked the federal government to submit data of the missing persons.
It is pertinent to note that Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Javed Iqbal told the media that Supreme Court had retrieved more than 100 missing persons from the custody of law enforcement agencies and it will continue to retrieve more people.
Meanwhile, relatives of missing persons have called upon Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to take suo motu notice of the missing persons and direct the government to retrieve their dear ones. They appealed the Chief Justice to make bound the security agencies to present them before apex court for trial.
The relatives of the people picked up by the law enforcement agencies from Lal Masjid, Balochistan and other parts of the country, and civil society activists hold a rally on Saturday from Supreme Court of Pakistan, which culminated at President House.
Participants of the rally were holding the pictures of their loved ones and banners, appealing to the recently restored Chief Justice of Pakistan to pursue their cases.
They were of the view that one of the reasons behind the sacking of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was his interest in upholding the rule of law and summoning intelligence agencies to inquire about the whereabouts of the missing persons.
They referred to a case on August 2, 2007 when Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry directed to issue notices to the Balochistan chief secretary and the provincial police officers, and fixed the case in his chamber on August 15 on the issue of missing persons, particularly those belonging to Balochistan.
Addressing the participants of the rally, Amna Masood Janjua, Defence of Human Rights Chairperson and wife of Masood Janjua who went missing some four years back, said that the CJ had ordered release of missing persons before the emergency was imposed and courts were dismissed.
"The government should release our loved ones before any further action from the Supreme Court," Amna said, adding that they were ready to forgive and forget everything if their husbands and sons were released without any more delay.
She said that they appeal the government to solve the issue of missing persons in the same way, as the issue of judges was resolved. "If the judges could be restored through executive order than why not the missing persons could be recovered in the same manner," she said.
Amna said that it was the most shameful fact that not only the men but women like Afia Siddiqui was also picked up by the security agencies. "No other country ever brought such kind of disgrace to their daughters, mothers and sisters," she said. She said that they demand of the government to recover their loved ones who were caged inside or outside the country without any crime. "The series of our protest would continue until the recovery of all missing persons," she announced.