Daily Times

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday ordered the federal government to bear the monthly expenses of the family of Sajid Mehmood, an engineer who went missing in 2016.

Justice Athar Minallah announced the verdict on a petition filed by Mehmood’s wife Mahera Sajid two years ago, in which she claimed that on March 14, 2016, her husband was “abducted from their home in F-10/1 amid circumstances which strongly suggest that this is a case of enforced disappearance”.

She had requested the court to declare the federal government responsible for the disappearance of her husband. She had also demanded that the federal government provide her and her children maintenance amounting to at least Rs 117,500 per month and starting from March 14, 2016, when her husband was “abducted”.

“The petitioner shall be paid an amount of Rs 117,500 per month, or such amount as may be determined pursuant to verification, as the case may be. The arrears shall be calculated and paid to the petitioner with effect from March 14, 2016,” the verdict said.

The judge also held state agencies, including Special Branch, Intelligence Bureau, Inter-Services Intelligence and the Military Intelligence, responsible for failing “to collect information and promptly report to the concerned functionaries regarding any incident of abduction of a citizen having the characteristics of an ‘enforced disappearance’ and to take effective measures in tracing the whereabouts of the victim”.

“Keeping in view the facts and circumstances of this case, this court imposes cost of Rs 100,000 each on Lt General (r) Zamirul-Hassan Shah, Defence Ministry Secretary Zulfiqar Haider, [then] Chief Commissioner Islamabad Capital Territory Khalid Khan Khattak, [then] Inspector General of Police, Islamabad Capital Territory and Capt (r) Mushtaq Ahmed, [then] District Magistrate, Islamabad Capital Territory,” Justice Minallah announced.

“Besides, a cost of Rs 300,000 is imposed on Qaiser Niaz, [the] inspector who was the in-charge of Shalimar Police Station on March 14 [the day when Mehmood went missing].” “The officials named above shall pay the costs through crossed cheques drawn in the name of the petitioner within 10 days from the date of announcement of this judgement,” the court ordered. “The failure of the criminal justice system to promptly respond to the complaint of the petitioner and then to conduct effective investigations stands established in the instant case, the verdict stated.

Published in Daily Times, July 12^th 2018.