The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday ordered a joint investigation team (JIT) probing the missing persons case to recover all missing persons by January 24 and submit a report in this regard. A two-member bench headed by Justice Naimatullah heard the missing persons case at the SHC on Thursday. The petitioner, who was the mother of one of the missing persons Raees, attended today’s hearing. According to the petitioner, Raees who had been missing for two years was an employee of the Water Board and was responsible for distributing bills. As the hearing commenced, Judge Naimatullah expressed anger at the government lawyer for not being present. “No progress has come forward from the JIT or the attorney general’s office,” the judge remarked. “A penalty will be imposed on the additional attorney general and JIT and the money will be given as compensation to the family of the missing person,” he added. The judge also expressed his lack of confidence in police officials and said, “I am disappointed with the performance of the police and lawyers. There has not been a satisfactory answer from the Sindh advocate general office either.” The court further ordered that detainment centres in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) be searched and that help be taken from the KP government to recover all missing persons. Further, the court ordered all the relevant departments to recover all missing persons by January 24 and to submit a report to the SHC in this regard. Published in Daily Times, November 30th 2018.