IHC hints at action against PMs over enforced disappearance case

ISLAMABAD: Considering the agony of a mother whose son was abducted five years ago from Islamabad and the happening was declared a subject matter of enforced disappearance, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday hinted to hold all the prime ministers and federal cabinet members responsible who have been in office since 2015.
Missing Imran Khan, whose mother sought a safe release of her son, was a computer engineer working in the UAE. In 2015, he came on leave from the UAE to attend a marriage ceremony of his relative when police officials arrested him from his residence at Islamabad on May 5, 2015. The parents have run from pillar to post to get the whereabouts of their son but found no clue so far.
Seeking assistance of Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan in the matter, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah said in a 4-page written order that the top principal law officer of the country is expected to submit a list of the prime ministers and members of the federal cabinet who have held the offices from 2015 till now.
The IHC chief justice also sought the AGP’s assistance over a proposition that as to why exemplary costs may not be imposed on those who may be declared responsible for the failure of the state to give a satisfactory explanation for disappearance of the petitioner’s son.
“The buck stops at the top – why the federal government – the worthy prime minister and members of the federal cabinet may not be declared to be responsible for alleged ‘enforced disappearances’ from the Islamabad Capital Territory? Why in the instant case this court should not declare every prime minister and member of the cabinet responsible who have held the respective public offices from the date when the petitioner’s son went missing till his whereabouts have been traced or at least a satisfactory explanation is given for the latter’s absence,” the order said.
It is pertinent to mention that ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif was chief executive of the country from June 5, 2013, to July 28, 2017, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was in office from August 1, 2017, to May 31, 2018, former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Nasirul Mulk was caretaker Prime Minister from June 1, 2018, to August 18, 2018, and incumbent Prime Minister Imran Khan become chief executive of the country on August 18, 2018.
The AGP has been asked to turn up with all the responses after a month on February 18.