Everyone knows Zardari’s missing aide in agencies’ custody: IHC

ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad High Court (IHC) bench here on Thursday directed ministries of interior, defence and intelligence agencies working under them to produce the missing former adviser of the Sindh government and close aide of Asif Ali Zardari, Nawab Ali Leghari, within five days, or the court will pass a judgement that official respondents will have to face.

After the ministries of interior, defence and intelligence agencies working under these two ministries, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) on Thursday also denied the custody of Mr Leghari. The IHC bench expressed resentment and remarked everybody knows that missing Leghari is in the custody of the intelligence agencies and if not produced, they will have to face consequences of the judgement.

The IHC bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani directed representatives of the agencies and the investigation officer (IO) of the case to sit together and decide how to produce the missing man. The hearing was adjourned till July 26.

Previously, the ISI, MI and intelligence agencies under the Ministry of Interior had denied the custody of Leghari. Today, the IB joined the same statement and said that Leghari is not in their custody.

Legal counsel for Leghari’s wife, who is the petitioner in this case, Barrister Qasim Nawaz Abbasi, placed a statement of the Interior Minister before the court who while addressing a press conference on April 15 said an important development has taken place regarding the detenue and he has spoken to the ISI  DG and IB DG.

Barrister Abbasi said that this statement is sufficient to prove that Leghari is under the custody of intelligence agencies. Barrister Abbasi alleged that respondents have also tried to threaten the complainant and an application has been submitted to the SHO Lohi Bher which is still unattended.

All the evidence clearly indicates that Leghari is under custody of intelligence agencies, he said. Laghari was picked up from his home and the investigators could easily identify vehicles through safe city cameras, Barrister Abbasi aruged before the court.

During the last hearing, the IHC bench had remarked that if there may be no progress till next hearing, the court will be constrained to summon secretary interior to the court. A brother of Nawab Leghari told the court that his brother was picked up by the agencies before his own eyes and now they are denying.

Petitioner Badarun Nisa, wife of Leghari, in her petition has expressed apprehensions that her husband is under the illegal custody of the Interior Ministry. She told the court that some officials on April 4, came to her house at Sawan Garden in Islamabad and demanded CNIC from her husband. Afterwards they took him along and when the petitioner contacted the police station concerned, it expressed complete ignorance to the incident.

Police even refused to register an FIR initially and that was registered after the matter was reported in the media. The petitioner suspected that interior secretary was behind the kidnapping of her husband.