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Thursday, January 07, 2010
Justice Javed says someone has to intervene; democracy meaningless unless rights ensured; Karachi Police chief ordered to present report about 28 missing persons
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday, while criticising the government for the second time, observed that the system in the country was in jeopardy and the concept of democracy would remain shattered until fundamental rights of the citizens were ensured.
“What type of democracy do we have wherein fundamental rights of the people could not be ensured,” Justice Javed Iqbal observed while heading a three-member bench of the apex court, hearing petitions of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and others.
He said no institution is working properly, the system is on the verge of disaster and someone has to intervene to save it. When the Supreme Court tries to remove the fault, uproar is made, he added.
The court directed Asma Jehangir, counsel for the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), to present a consolidated list of the missing persons within two weeks so that if the court constitutes a commission in the matter, the list could be presented before it.
The missing people are believed to have been picked up by intelligence agencies for interrogation over their alleged link to Balochistan separatists and other militant groups in the country. Their relatives claimed they were picked up by intelligence agencies but never brought before the courts.
According to the earlier list of the HRCP prepared in 2007, there were 198 people missing of which 99 were traced out while 99 were still missing.
People whose whereabouts were still unknown included 66 from Balochistan, 13 from the NWFP, 12 from Sindh, seven from the Punjab while one is a foreigner. During the hearing, JusticeJaved Iqbal in his observation said no work was being done effectively and when the court tries to point out the flaws in the system, great hue and cry is created.
The court also ordered the Karachi police chief to present a report of 28 persons, who have been missing from Karachi since 1996. One Babar Anees, brother of Syed Gohar Anees who was missing, appeared in-person before the court and said the whereabouts of his brother were still unknown.
Justice Javed Iqbal observed that the MQM has been in power in every era, how Altaf Bhai could not trace out his missing persons? He, however, said that the court would also look into the matter and would deal it on equal footings.
The court taking up the matter of one Mustafa Azam of Karachi, who was kidnapped from Karachi, summoned the inspector general of Police Frontier Corps and Major Ibrahim before the court within two weeks.
Muhammad Azam, father of Mustafa Azam, told the court that after abduction, his son Mustafa Azam was kept in a prison in Karachi, however, later on he was arrested by the Frontier Corps for his alleged involvement in a Peshawar blast some two months back.
He told the court that the IG Frontier Corps and Major Ibrahim told him that Mustafa Azam was arrested but later on released for being mentally upset. The court also directed DIG Hazara Syed Altaf Imtiaz to furnish a report regarding Attiqur Rehman, who has been missing since 2007.
Brother of six sisters, Attiqur Rehman was allegedly picked up by the secret agencies on his wedding day from Abbottabad. DIG Abbottabad, Hazara Syed Altaf Imtiaz told the court that the police handed over Attiqur Rehman to the Intelligence Bureau (IB).
At this, Justice Javed Iqbal said that even the IB was not above the law and the court would proceed against it as well. “It came to know that the previous government handed over more than 200 people to foreign countries,” the court asked Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan. The court adjourned the hearing in the case for two weeks.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
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