Missing persons case: PHC orders inclusion of SHO in investigation

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday directed the investigation officer to include the station house officer (SHO) of the Hayatabad Police Station in the investigation case of four missing brothers.

During the hearing, Justice Ijaz Anwar expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of the investigation and observed that the police force should be empowered so that its officials could not be influenced. The court made the remarks while hearing a habeas corpus petition.

The bench said there was a dire need for an autonomous police force or else the situation would not improve.

The sister of the missing persons, Gulalai Alkozai, had filed the writ petition seeking the recovery of her four brothers. She was represented by her lawyer Nadir Shah Advocate.The court was informed that six months ago, Usman Khan Alkozai, Muhammad Nasir, Abdul Waris, and Zahir Shah Alkozai were abducted by armed men from their home in Hayatabad.

The lawyer told the court that the missing persons could not be recovered even after several months. He said the court had previously ordered the police to recover the brothers but to no avail.

Additional Chief Secretary Abid Majeed and Additional Attorney General Sanaullah appeared before the bench. The court had formed a joint investigation team (JIT) but no progress was made in the case.

The lawyer pointed out that the SHO of the Hayatabad Police Station had not been questioned by the JIT, despite CCTV footage allegedly showed his vehicle near the crime scene.When asked by the court, the investigating officer claimed that the videos provided to him did not show the vehicle in question. The court ordered the investigation officer to review the footage again and include the SHO in the investigation.