ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Farrukh Habib’s wife requested Qazi Faez Isa, chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), to take immediate notice of her husband's ‘enforced disappearance’, ascertain his fate and whereabouts, besides ensuring his instant recovery because his entirely family was deeply concerned about his safety and well-being.
In her letter to the CJP, she informed that Farrukh was illegally picked up by ‘unknown men’ from Gwadar on September 28, 2023 but he has not yet been presented in front of a magistrate in any Court, in a clear violation of his fundamental right to fair trial and access to justice.
She expressed apprehension that since the crackdown intensified significantly post-9 May 2023, fearing that her husband was being tortured and humiliated with the objective to change his political loyalties.
She said: “Farrukh, who is a PTI President West Region, is a well-respected and law-abiding citizen of Pakistan, who has been member of National Assembly from August, 2018 till April, 2022 and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting.”
“I crave your gracious indulgence into this matter of serious nature because my husband's and his family's fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution are being brazenly violated, as I am choice-less, helpless and hapless; therefore, I request you to take meaningful notice and address my grievance,” she requested.
Farrukh’s wife claimed that it appeared every effort under state supervision has been employed to make sure her husband becomes and stays as a missing person.
“We have filed a habeas corpus petition in the Lahore High Court for recovery of Farrukh, which directed IGP Punjab to submit a report on his whereabouts. However, the petition is progressing at (a) snail's pace and so far, no progress has been noticed,” she lamented.
Even otherwise, she stated, the court’s orders are blatantly flouted by the executive authorities in the last few months, and I fear the same will happen in Farrukh's case as well. “Under these circumstances, I request you to take immediate notice of my husband's enforced disappearance, ascertain his fate, whereabouts and ensure his recovery,” she appealed.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023