Daily Times

Pandemonium at the Supreme Court Karachi Registry led Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar to temporarily stop the proceedings on missing persons’ case on Sunday.

Strict security was put in place outside the court premises mainly to stop family members of missing persons from entering the courtroom where the CJP was due at noon and Sindh Rangers Director General Muhammad Saeed, Inspector General Amjad Saleemi, provincial interior secretary and intelligence officials were to furnish their responses after the top judge took notice a day earlier of the non-recovery of missing persons in Sindh.

While talking to the media outside the court, the victim families carrying placards appealed to the CJP to help ensure recovery of their missing children, fathers and brothers.

“We have no hope from security institutions,” they said, asking law enforcers to check CCTV footage to find out who had picked up their loved ones.

“Our children have been missing for years, we have no information about them. If our children are dead, we should be told,” they demanded.

Speaking to reporters at the scene, rights activist and election candidate Jibran Nasir said it appeared as though the country was someone’s kingdom. “People are being prevented from reaching the Supreme Court. You can’t even say anything to institutions because your patriotism is questioned then.”

“Extrajudicial encounters are becoming par for the course in Sindh. If this continues to happen without justice being served, the situation will deteriorate,” he said. As the top judge reached the Karachi registry, security forces had to hold families back from trying to reach him, leading to a heated exchange between both parties.

Shortly after, the Sindh top cop paramilitary forces director general reached the court and briefed the CJP on missing persons. The CJP said he would begin the open court hearing soon. In addition to the DG Rangers and the IG Sindh, Military Intelligence, Inter-Services Intelligence and Intelligence Bureau officials were also scheduled to submit their responses to the CJP.

Published in Daily Times, June 25^th 2018.