Another missing person, Munib Akram, was produced by police at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday during a hearing of a case. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah presided over the hearing on a petition filed by Munib’s father, Mohammad Akram. Asked by the Chief Justice about his whereabouts, Munib said he was sleeping at home on August 19, 2022 when he was violently called to the door by unidentified people dressed in shalwar kameez. He added the men then asked him for his laptop password and told him to “never use” the social media platforms Twitter and Facebook. The victim further stated that she was “scared” and was eventually dropped off in the Kallar Kahar area after being held for five or six hours. He then claimed he stayed in a friend’s village for about 40 days and did not tell his family about his situation out of “fear”. After hearing Munib’s version of events, the court directed its inquiry to the Area Station House Officer (SHO), asking how such individuals moved within its jurisdiction. The IHC also invited the Deputy Superintendent of Police (Law) of the Capital Police Department to the next hearing, saying the court wanted to better understand the increasing frequency of such incidents in Islamabad. The court stated that personnel from other counter-terrorism departments had arrived in Islamabad and questioned who should be held responsible for such a situation. Reaffirming his respect for the police force and the uniform they wear, the IHC Chief Justice reiterated that incidents of disappearances of citizens were “unacceptable” and questioned who should be held accountable to ensure that ” no one dares to do this in the future”. Judge Minallah turned his attention to the Defense Department representative and asked if the intelligence agencies had conducted an investigation. The representative told the court that their investigation had concluded that the missing person was not being held by any of the department’s agencies. The Chief Justice explained that the agency’s job is not only to report that the citizen is not being held by them, but also to investigate and report on the matter. Judge Minallah asked the defense ministry representative who he thought should be held accountable by the court. He went on to say that accountability becomes difficult when state institutions are involved, and if the citizen had not been found, the court would have held the authorities responsible. The occurrence of such incidents in the federal capital was alarming and the IHC ordered the capital’s chief constable to investigate the matter and submit a report to the clerk of the court within 15 days. The IHC CJ further said Munib should not be harassed in any way. The court then dismissed the lawsuit. Munib’s recovery was ordered by the IHC during the Sept. 30 hearing.
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