Secretary Defence to submit reply in missing persons’ case

Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday sought replies from the secretary Defence and Ministry of Interior in a missing person case.

The court sought the replies on a petition filed by Shamina Bibi, a resident of Peshawar, against the alleged kidnapping of her husband Sher Zaman by security agency officials from Islamabad last year. A single-member bench comprising Justice Anwar Khan Kasi heard the petition.

Shamina Bibi, in her petition, said her husband, Sher Zaman, was serving as researcher in an Islamabad-based NGO. She said that entire family was under severe stress due to his absence. She alleged that Zaman had been kept under stressful conditions during last month.

The counsel for the petitioner, Muhammad Ziaullah Advocate told the court that some army personnel along with men donning plainclothes picked up Zaman on October 6, last year, when he was going to the Austrian Embassy to submit his visa application.

When his wife inquired about the matter, the security personnel replied that they belonged to a secret agency and would free her husband after having answers to some questions, the counsel added.

“They had taken Zaman with themselves but he never returned ever since,” the lawyer said. He further informed the court that a written report was submitted to the Police Station Kohsar, Islamabad but police had also failed to recover the abducted person.

“My client is in illegal confinement of the security agency and has not been allowed to get any legal assistance,” Ziaullah Advocate said. He pleaded that his client was innocent, law abiding citizen and has never been involved in criminal or anti-state activities and his detention was unlawful.

The petitioner’s lawyer prayed before the court that direction should be issued to the concern security agency through Ministry of defence to produce his client before the court and be released if the agency failed to justify his detention.

Following the arguments, the court directed the secretary defence and ministry of interior to submit their replies in this regard.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Feb 29 2012. Filed under National, Pakistan, Society. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.