Supreme Court lays down the law on illegal detentions in Pakistan

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Islamabad police to present an investigative report, pertaining to the case of a ‘missing person’ who was released, within the next two weeks. A two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar
Mohammad Chaudhry and Justice Tariq Parvez, which had taken up the case of seven of the 11 surviving Adiyala jail prisoners, was hearing the case today.

The bench ordered the Attorney General to consult the top leadership about the role of intelligence agencies in the ‘missing persons’ cases. The apex court issued these orders while hearing the case of 24-year-old Omar Mahmood
Wali Khan who went missing on March 10 and was later found on March 17. Omar was produced before the apex court along with his father.

The Inspector General (IG) Police said help had been sought from agencies to secure Omar’s release, but it was not sure who had held him. Omar confessed he had no idea who his kidnappers were, adding that he was interrogated over
various issues during his captivity.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry remarked that it should be probed as to who had abducted him, adding that if someone commits a crime, they should be dealt as per the law. Omar’s father told the bench that some unidentified men
had picked up his son in front of him. “We came to Pakistan one-and-a-half years ago, and are now mulling to go back,” said his father.

The SC said in its verdict it has been ordered earlier as well that it was illegal to detain people without any case and there was no reason to have held Omar for six days, instructing the attorney general to convey this to all
concerned agencies. The bench also sought a report from the attorney general into the matter within two weeks.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=16332

Posted by Hamza Jahangir on Mar 19 2012. Filed under Latest News, Pakistan, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry