ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday expressed deep frustration over the lack of progress in locating two brothers of investigative journalist Ahmed Noorani, who have been missing for over 20 days from the federal capital.
The court’s displeasure came during a hearing where Islamabad police admitted they had only discovered a “hint” of the missing men’s location.
Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas, presiding over the case, warned that the responsibility for the failure to recover the men would fall squarely on the police. The court has adjourned the hearing and stated that it would issue an order after receiving detailed reports from the Ministry of Defence and Islamabad’s Inspector General of Police (IGP).
The missing individuals, Saifur Rehman Haider (38) and Muhammad Ali (30), were last seen on March 19. Their brother, Ahmed Noorani, is based in the United States and runs the investigative website FactFocus, which is currently blocked in Pakistan.
Their mother, Amina Bashir, appeared in court alongside lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha. During the proceedings, Justice Minhas expressed anger at the absence of IGP Ali Nasir Rizvi, insisting he would hear from no one else. “I ordered the IG to appear. I will not listen to anyone else,” he said, cutting off the SP Investigation who attempted to speak.
IG Rizvi later appeared and informed the court that a special investigation team had been formed. He said that mobile activity linked to the brothers was traced to Bahawalpur on March 22 and 23. Police teams have been dispatched to both Bahawalpur and Sindh, and efforts are underway in coordination with law enforcement agencies across provinces.
“We are also examining mobile records, vehicle tracking, and contact tracing with help from the Intelligence Bureau,” he said.
Justice Minhas sharply criticised the Safe City surveillance system, questioning its effectiveness if abductions could happen so easily in the heart of the capital. “If people can be picked up from Islamabad like this, what is the police even doing?” he asked.
Advocate Mazari denounced the lack of accountability in cases of enforced disappearances, pointing to recurring patterns involving post-disappearance phone activity. “This is a common pattern when intelligence agencies are allegedly involved,” she said, adding, “Questions must also be directed at those in khaki uniforms.”
The judge emphasized that it was the police’s duty to ensure the brothers’ safe recovery and that continued inaction would lead to serious questions about institutional accountability. The court also pressed the state counsel on whether any authority within Islamabad was prepared to take responsibility for such disappearances.
