A three-judge bench, comprising Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed and Justice Sair Ali yesterday rejected the government’s report on missing persons case and ordered them to re-submit an updated copy.

Justice Jawed Iqbal termed the government’s report as a mere ‘paperwork’. Justice Sair Ali has said ,
“the reports showed the level of interest the government was taking in the case and its proceedings. “

Attorney General Anwar Mansoor, recommended the court to constitute a commission for the recovery of missing persons but Justice Javed Iqbal asked the Attorney-General to present an example of a positive outcome from any government commission. He expressed his dissatisfaction over the proposal, saying “since 1947, 31 commissions have been set up so far, but not even a single one can be termed satisfactory except the Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report of 1972.”

AG Anwar Mansoor said that he would consult the Prime Minister in this regard.

Justice Javed Iqbal warned that the court should not be regarded as a weak institution, and said that the court can order action against the culprits with a strike of pen only.

On 6th February,2010, Interior Minister Rehman Malik asked officials of law enforcement agencies and provincial governments to expedite investigations into the cases of missing persons after registering FIRs. He asked them to make serious efforts to trace the whereabouts of all missing persons.

Later this month Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani had directed the Interior Minister Rehman Malik to take concrete and immediate steps for the early recovery of missing persons from the province of Baluchistan.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has also directed the interior minister to ensure early recovery of the missing persons.

Over 400 cases have been reported since 2002 by The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan; and hundreds more are estimated to be missing .

This three-judge bench, comprising Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed and Justice Sair Ali, has been hearing the cases of missing persons for four years on petitions filed by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Defence of Human Rights and former PPP senator Farhatullah Babar.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik, ordered the respective Police Stations and the all provincial Home Secretaries Saturday to immediately file first information report (FIR) of each missing person and speed up the investigations.

A high level meeting was held in the committee room of Interior Ministry, attended by Secretary of interior and defense and representatives of the provincial governments, law enforcement and intelligence agencies where the home secretaries were asked to be available to assist the Attorney General of Pakistan Anwar Mansoor, who had informed the court that till 2008, 1,600 persons had gone missing.

This meeting was called by the Interior Minister for discussing the missing persons cases, to comply with the Supreme Court. Mr.Rehman Malik ordered for fresh investigations of all missing person cases, as these reports are intended to be presented in the Supreme Court at the next hearing. He emphasized that the Federal and Provincial governments will work together for the recovery of these people’s misery. He said that the process should be expedited and serious steps must be taken to relieve the pain of these victims.

Later this month Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani had directed the Interior Minister Rehman Malik to take concrete and immediate steps for the early recovery of Balochistan missing persons. Yousuf Raza Gilani directed the interior minister to ensure early recovery of the missing persons.

For the past four years three-judge bench, comprising Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed and Justice Sair Ali, had been hearing the cases of missing persons. Missing persons petitions were filed by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Defence of Human Rights and former PPP senator Farhatullah Babar.

Justice Javed Iqbal has termed the missing persons case as a big challenge, last month during the hearing of missing persons’ case on 21st January 2010. Justice Javed said that ,”Duty of the court was not to protect the breachers of law and constitution but to recover the missing people.”During a hearing, Attorney General told the court that a special desk has been formed in the interior ministry to facilitate relatives of the missing persons.

The chairperson of Defence of Human Rights, Amina Masood Janjua has claimed that all the missing persons alongwith their creditionals were being held illegally by the government itself. She said that “Rehman Malik should have contacted us (the kin of missing persons) for providing complete details of these missing persons, which was not made at all.” She expressed her deep regrets that in face of many hopes, the Supreme Court had also disappointed the kin of missing persons, By not reviewing their cases.

Over 400 cases have been counted since 2002 by The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan; over hundreds, more are estimated to be missing .Whether they are guilty or innocent is hard to find out because not one has appeared before a court.

Intervention of the Intelligence agencies in the civilian premises and their growing power is a big threat for every citizen in Pakistan as is seen in these cases, where the people were picked up by some unknown forces and never came back.