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On Monday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued an order for the establishment of a committee comprised of the heads of Pakistan’s intelligence agencies to investigate the disappearance of Baloch students. The court summoned caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul Haq Kakar, defense and interior ministers, and the Islamabad police chief for the next hearing on February 28.
The case, initiated in 2022 by the families of the missing students, alleges their abduction by state agencies. The court was addressing a petition concerning the implementation of recommendations from the 2011 Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, aimed at locating missing individuals and holding perpetrators accountable.
Despite previous summons on November 29 and January 10, Kakar failed to appear, prompting Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani’s displeasure. The judge expressed concern over the absence of the prime minister and ministers, emphasizing the court’s desire to understand the state’s failures.
Justice Kayani revealed the court had not received any information from the government in the past two years. He highlighted the Commission’s findings, stating that 22 of the 50 missing persons had been recovered, while 28 remained unaccounted for without criminal or terror charges against them.
The judge accused institutions involved in enforced disappearances, suggesting the death penalty as appropriate punishment. He announced the formation of a committee comprising heads of ISI, MI, and IB to investigate. Emphasizing the equality of the law, he criticized the state of affairs, expressing shame over the situation.
The court directed the defense secretary to inform relevant officials, instructing the attorney general to brief the intelligence agencies’ DGs and submit a list of recent missing persons. The hearing adjourned until February 28, with the prime minister and ministers requested to appear.
Justice Kayani clarified that no elected prime minister would be summoned, preferring to start afresh after a new government’s inauguration. He urged the caretaker prime minister’s appearance, emphasizing the interim premier’s responsibility.
The court referred to a December report by the NGO Defense of Human Rights (DHR), citing 51 additional cases of enforced disappearances in 2023, bringing the total to 3,120. The report outlined 595 releases, 246 traced individuals, and 88 extrajudicial killings.
