Daily Times

LAHORE: Lahore High court (LHC) has on Friday ordered the intelligence agencies to look for the missing peace activist Raza Mehmood Khan since the police stated today that they were unable to find Raza.

According to details, LHC’s Justice Qazi Amin conducted the third hearing in the case of missing peace activist who had gone missing from Lahore on December 2. Naseerabad Police Station Head Officer Inspector Khadim Hussain stated before the court today that the police was still investigating the case but was unable to find Raza Khan.

Advocate Asma Jahangir told the court that Raza’s family had received phone calls from unidentified numbers and they told them that he’d soon be with his family.

The court ordered SSP Rizwan Gondal and the intelligence agencies to expedite their efforts for locating the missing activist.

Justice Qazi Amin did not set the next date of the hearing since he will be going to Rawalpindi bench from tomorrow. “I will be retiring from tomorrow so the next hearing date will be given by the high court office”, he said.

During the last hearing, on December 18, Justice Qazi Amin had ordered the SHO of Naseerabad police station to present Raza on the next (today’s) hearing. The order was welcomed by Raza’s lawyers and friends. However, the response today by the police has shrouded the case in more mystery.

Raza has been missing since December 2. A petition had been filed with LHC by his brother Hamid Nasir Mehmood Khan in which he had made the government of Pakistan, government of Punjab, Punjab Police Inspector General and the Station Head Officer of Naseerabad police station respondents in the case.

The court had ordered Naseerabad SHO to submit his answer by December 19. The next hearing was conducted on December 18. Today, during the third hearing, the SHO told the court that the police was unable to find the missing peace activist.

A large crowd gathered outside Raza’s home last night demanding his immediate retrieval.