Additional Attorney General has informed the Supreme Court (SC) that Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal has been appointed
to lead the Commission for Missing Persons, adding that government has constituted a committee for delivering the compensation to the relatives of missing persons.
A three-member bench of SC comprising Justice Mian Sahkirullah Jan, Justice Jawad S Kahwaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain heard the petitions filed by the relatives of the missing persons on Monday.
Court has sent the 252 cases of missing persons to the commission constituted by the court for the inquiry into the matter of the missing persons of all provinces.
Court has directed the government that to submit the inquiry report of joint investigation (JIT) in the apex court within a week.
Additional Attorney General (AAG) K.K Agha informed the Court that the committee has started the work and has nominated six persons for compensation. Court directed the AAG that the compensation should be given to those identified persons within a week.
Agha said that the time period for commission is to be extended, adding that the issue of missing persons would be resolved soon.
Agha submitted a report regarding missing persons in the court. The Apex court reviewing the report termed the progress report as unsatisfactory.
During the course of hearing the relatives of missing persons said that the reports of AAG were in English and they cannot understand that what is written in the reports. The head of bench Mian Shakirullah Jan said to AAG the he may provide translated copies of the re3port to the applicants.
The Chairperson Defence of Human Rights commission Amina Masood Janjua said that her husband is in custody of the spy agencies and she can submit the proofs before the court. She stated that she wants to meet with DG ISI.
The court inquired from AAG that what is the hurdle, why they are not arranging meeting of Amina with DG ISI. The AAG replied that secretary defence has replied on the directives of the court so the meeting of Amina with DG would not be fruit full because his reply also would the same to secretary defence.
Justice Shakir said that the commission has been constituted and the case would be taken by the commission.
During the course of hearing Zanab Bibi the mother of missing person Faisal Faraz said that her son is missing for last six years but no one has care about that, adding that police had not even recorded her statement yet. The courts also had not heard her, she added.
Court showing annoyance directed to the police officials to record her statement and include it in the record of the case.
The Apex court observed that court wants to know that what progress has been made into the investigations of the missing person’s cases. Justice Jawad remarked that it seems that no progress has been made by the JITs, adding that missing persons matter is still at zero after passing six years. He said that the legal requirements have not been fulfilled by the investigation agencies.
Court inquired the names of JIT and task force members, and took missing persons cases one by one.
Later the court sent all 252 missing persons cases including 25 persons of MQM to the commission and directed AAG to submit the JIT investigation report of eight missing persons including Masood Janjua and Faisal Faraz before the court within week and adjourned the hearing till October 12. (SANA)
September 26, 2011