PHC seeks reports on whereabouts of 13 missing persons

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday directed the federal and provincial governments to submit reports about the whereabouts of 13 missing persons.

During the hearing, a single PHC bench comprising Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim questioned a representative of the provincial government that why the Provincial Public Safety Commission had not been established despite the enactment of the Police Act in 2017. The court was hearing multiple petitions filed for the recovery of 13 missing persons.

The representative informed the court that recent amendments had been made and that the commission would soon be notified. Deputy Attorney General Ubaidullah Anwar appeared on behalf of the federal government, while Additional Advocate General Bashir Naveed represented the provincial government.

The petitioners claimed that their relatives were taken into custody by authorities and they had been missing since. The chief justice instructed the deputy attorney general to obtain a report from the Ministries of Defense and Interior and to update the court on the status of the missing persons.

Meanwhile, the additional advocate general explained that the amended Provincial Public Safety Commission would consist of 13 members, including representatives from minority communities, five civil society members, one Supreme Court lawyer, and the advocate general.

He added the district public safety commissions would have three provincial or national assembly members, four local government representatives, eight government representatives, three retired civil judges, four civil society members, and one lawyer. The chief justice remarked that the Public Safety Commission should be established without any further delay.