PESHAWAR:
The Peshawar High Court on Friday disposed of two petitions regarding recovery of missing persons after they returned to their homes, while two cases were referred to the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances. The court also sent notices to the federal and provincial governments in two additional petitions, seeking detailed responses.
A single bench headed by Chief Justice SM Atiq Shah conducted the hearing, during which the Additional Advocate General, Deputy Attorney General and nodal persons from the Home Department and the police appeared before the court.
During the proceedings on a petition filed by a woman seeking recovery of her children, the Additional Advocate General informed the court that the children had been taken to Karachi by their father. He said the local SHO had tracked the father to Karachi, but he fled with the children and switched off his phone. The Chief Justice directed that the matter be raised with the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and the CCPO, and discussed with the Advocate General Sindh, and a detailed report would be submitted.
In another case involving a missing lawyer, the petitioner’s lawyer told the court that lawyer Umar Jadoon, practicing in Abbottabad and Peshawar, had been detained outside the primary health care centre. When asked why he was detained, the lawyer stated that he had expressed his support for Gaza on social media, after which he allegedly disappeared. The court sent notices to federal and provincial authorities, ordering them to file responses, and referred the case to the Missing Persons Commission.
The court resolved two petitions after the missing persons returned home.
