The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday gave Islamabad and Punjab police two weeks to recover four Afghan brothers who have been missing since January 2024.
Justice Muhammad Asif heard the petition regarding the disappearance of the brothers, who vanished from the federal capital over a year ago.
Senior police officials including the DIGs of Islamabad and Lahore, and the RPO of Rawalpindi appeared before the court.
During proceedings, Justice Asif summoned the mother of the missing men, Gul Seema, to the rostrum and spoke with her in Pashto.
He later translated her words for the courtroom, saying, “She has been coming to the High Court since August. If her sons have died, then tell her.”
The judge added, “Those whose loved ones are missing die every moment – how long will this continue?”
The DIG Islamabad requested more time to trace the missing individuals, prompting criticism from the petitioner’s lawyer, who noted that the case had been pending for eight months with no results.
He also questioned whether any FIRs had been registered and whether they applied to all four brothers.
Justice Asif also inquired why the Inspector General of Police (IGP) was not present, as earlier summoned.
The government lawyer said the IGP was not available but other senior officers were in attendance.
He again requested time to file a new report.
“There’s no point in repeatedly granting time,” the judge said. “We want the individuals recovered. We are giving you two weeks – inform us of the results.”
The court ordered the recovery of the missing brothers within the given period and adjourned the hearing until May 5.