ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court delivered a stern warning to the federal government, indicating the potential dismissal of the prime minister and interior minister if the issue of missing persons remains unresolved.
During the hearing regarding missing Baloch students, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani presided over the session where caretaker Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti appeared in person.
The Attorney General, Mansoor Awan, informed the court that caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar couldn’t attend due to an official trip abroad.
Awan revealed that 22 out of 69 missing Baloch students had been recovered since the last hearing, leaving 28 still unaccounted for, pledging the government’s commitment to recover them all.
A cabinet committee has been established to handle missing person reports, as mentioned by Awan.
However, Justice Kiyani expressed concern, stating that it appeared as if the legal system in Pakistan was ineffective.
The judge explicitly warned the interior minister that if the missing persons were not found, both he and the prime minister could face legal action leading to their dismissal, emphasizing the enduring trauma suffered by the families of the missing persons.
Bugti pledged to personally meet the families of the missing persons and invited them for lunch within a week to address their concerns individually, as instructed by the judge.
Additionally, Justice Kiyani questioned whether the intelligence agencies were being questioned about the disappearances, prompting the minister to explain that the government was working to recover those missing, distinguishing between absconders and those forcibly disappeared.
The judge raised doubts about entrusting this task to agencies facing allegations of enforced disappearances.
The hearing concluded, adjourning until January 10. During the prior session on November 22, the IHC had summoned both the PM and interior minister, while rejecting the committee’s report formed for the missing persons’ recovery.
