Not Traceable

This absurd drama plays every so agten with a bizzar consistency. Judges take their seats sheepishly; victim families wait anxiously; officials report nonchalantly; judges give some wishy-washy orders and another date; court is adjourned; vistim families go back to their miserable lives. This is missing persons' drama taht is played out elaborately in Pakistan's Supreme Court.

Same ritual next time.

This time the Deputy Attorney General presented the concise report on behalf of National Crisis Management Cell concerning those seven people the court had inquired in its last hearing on April 27.

According to the findings of NCMC, Faisal Faraz is not traceable.

In other words, even though the Cell admits that disappearance of Pakistanis at the hands of intelligence agencies is National Crisis but it cannot manage it. Or it can manage it the only way it is adept at: by telling lies and concealing the truth.

Faisal Faraz, a mechanical engineer from Lahore, was abducted from Rawalpindi Daewoo Bus Stop on July 30, 2005. He was with Masood Janjua. Masood is also missing since.

Justice Javed Iqbal asked the representative of the NCMC of Interior Ministry, Colonel (who else?) Imran: “Are you denying that he was picked up".

Col. Imran: “We don’t have him and we have contacted all the agencies. We are still making efforts.”

Justice Iqbal qasked him about the efforts NCMC has made in recovering Faisal Faraz and others missing people. The paper does not report what did Colonel Imran say.

Justice Iqbal instructed Col. Imran that all missing persons have to be traced out and that the law does not give any right to any government department to abduct people unlawfully and whosoever exercises such powers, will have to be answerable before the Supreme Court.

“Legal action will be taken regardless of who is who,” said Justice Javed Iqbal.

When families and lawyers of the insisted then Col. Imran told the judge that most of the information about the missing people cannot be revealed.

Justice Javed Iqbal told Col Imran that any sensitive information can be revealed in his chamber. The paper does not say if "sensitive information" was revealed in the chamber of hte judge or not.

But Justice Iqbal assured the families that legal action would be taken.

About Imran Munir, 35, the Col. Imran's report disclosed that he is in military’s detention on charges of spying for a foreign country. Imran Munir went missing on July 8th, 2006.

According to his sister, he was "invited" by Brig Mansoor to a dinner in Blue Area, Islamabad. He never came back home. He worked in Malaysia and was on a visit to Pakistan for 2 weeks.

His family was never informed about his whereabouts, his detention, or any charges against him.

After the Supreme Court inquiries during hearings, on April 27, his whereabouts have finally been revealed.

The Supreme Court directed the NCMC to present the charge sheet against Imran Munir in the court and to make arrangements for Imran’s meeting with his family.

How about Attiqur Rehman? The DAG told the court, “He is untraceable” too.

Attiq’s lawyer, Ikram Chaudhry, on the other hand told the bench that DIG and SP Abbottabad had told his client’s family members that he had been picked up by the agencies.

Justice Javed Iqbal summoned IG NWFP and SP Abbotabad to appear beforwe the Supreme Court on the next hearing on May 11, 2007.

Qari Saifullah Akhtar. The concise report presented by the National Crisis Management cell, revealed: “He is engaged in jihadi activities somewhere in Punjab.” (How do they know? And where is that 'somewhere'?)

Qari Saifullah’s lawyer, Hashmat Habib told the bench that government is aware of the whereabouts of Qari Saifullah since he was handed over to the Pakistani government by the UAE authorities on August 8, 2004.

He substantiated his statement by narrating NCMC’s Director General Javed Iqbal Cheema’s interview to a newspaper on August 9, 2004; saying, “Qari Saifullah is in custody of law enforcement agencies and Pakistani agencies are interrogating him.”

The then Information Minister, Sheikh Rashid’s statements given in August 2004 also confirmed that Qari Saifullah was in government’s detention.

After listening to the arguments given by both the sides, Justice Javed Iqbal ordered that a specific report about Qari Saifullah be furnished in the next hearing.

Naeem Noor Khan. According to the NCMC he is also not traceable either. Whereas in August 2004, government acknowledged his arrest. Sheikh Rashid, the then Information Minister , and Faisal Saleh Hayat, the then Interior Minister, and Shaukat Sultan, the then DG ISPR, all confirmed Naeem Noor Khan’s arrest in a press conference in August 2004.

On Supreme Court orders in the last hearing, the Interior Ministry had appointed Col Javed Iqbal Lodhi as deputy secretary to be accessible to the families of the missing people and to arrange their meetings with the detainees and also obtain necessary information regarding missing people.

Justice Javed Iqbal further ordered the deputy secretary to make his telephone numbers known so concerned people could contact him.

Qari Obaidullah was arrested from his house in Multan on November 26, 2003 by elite unit of armed forces accompanied by the agents in civilian clothes. But the armed forces never informed Qari Obaidullah’s family about his detention and they have not met him in four years. His wife had filed a petition in Lahore High Court's Rawalpindi Bench.

The Deputy Attorney General appeared in the court and stated, “Obaidullah was in the custody of the Armed Forces of Pakistan and was required in connection with a case under Section 2(d) of the Pakistan Army Act, 1952.”

The bench directed the Deputy Attorney General to make meeting arrangements of Qari Obaidullah with his family.

All the families of missing people expressed their fears before the bench that their loved ones could also be meted out the same treatment as Saud Memon was subjected to.
Saud was dumped near his home in Karachi on April 28, 2007 in a vegetative state. He is not able to speak, walk or hold his head on his own. This 44 years old man weighs only 44 pound (18 kilogram).

Justice Javed Iqbal ordered the Deputy Attorney General to inform the court about Muhammad Idrees Abbasi’s whereabouts and present a concise report in the court on the next hearing due on May 11, 2007.