ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court Chief Athar Minallah said the provincial chief executives are also responsible in the missing persons case.
The IHC chief justice stated this on Friday while hearing the missing persons case. Islamabad High Court also summoned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in this case, who said the government will take this case seriously.
The premier offered consolation to the young son of journalist Mudassar Naro, who had been missing since 2018.
Chief Justice of IHC said that the court now wanted to issue a ruling on the issue of missing persons.
“We have already said that the disappearance of people is against the constitution,” the justice said.
Shehbaz Sharif said that he will not evade his responsibility under any pretext.
The prime minister told the court that Naro’s son has urged him to find his father.
“This is too disturbing. God knows who has made the child’s father disappear, but finding him is my responsibility. I assure the court that I will do my best to find the missing person,” Shehbaz Sharif said.
The IHC chief judge said that the situation was too complex and that unfortunately, a person who remained chief executive of the country for nine years wrote in his book that people were picked up and sent to other countries. This shows that it was a state policy, said Justice Minallah.
He also said that the court appreciated the fact that the current government has formed a cabinet committee on the issue.
The court said that the federal government failed to listen to the families of missing persons. The court wants the issue to be solved and this is the reason that it asked the prime minister to appear before it, the judge said.
The Islambad High Court has been hearing the petition filed by the family members of missing Journalist Naro and other missing persons since the days when the country was under the PTI. Then-Prime Minister Imran Khan also appeared before the court once in the same case.
The prime minister was accompanied to the court by Infomation Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and Law Minister Azam Tarar.
Meanwhile, an eight-member cabinet committee on missing persons has visited Quetta, where the committee members met with protesters who had staged a sit-in since July 21. After the meeting, the protesters ended the sit-in.
Islamabad High Court has adjourned the hearing of missing persons case till Nov 2022.
