PHC told six more missing persons declared hardcore militants

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) was told on Wednesday that the oversight board has declared six more missing persons as ‘black’ or hardcore militants.
Additional Advocate General (AAG), Mujahid Ali Khan, submitted the oversight board report in the division bench comprising Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Muhammad Daud Khan.
The report was about five missing persons who had been shifted to the internment centre in Ghallanai, headquarters of Mohmand Agency.The oversight board headed by the FCR commissioner had declared four missing brothers — Zar Shah, Akbar Shah, Amir Shah and Zahir Shah — as hardcore militants.
As per the report all the four missing brothers were active members of the banned militant organisation, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, Mohmand Agency chapter. It said they were involved in a blast in a mosque at the Chanda village in the Mohmand Agency.Furthermore, the report stated that the internees were found involved in collecting money from people in the area through ransom for financing terrorist activities.
The AAG informed the bench the fifth missing person, Zamin, had been handed over to political agent of Mohmand Agency for a trial as he was involved in criminal cases in the tribal region.
Father of these four militants had filed habeas corpus petition in the high court for their safe recovery. He had claimed that his sons were picked up by the law enforcing agencies in 2012. Later, these agencies shifted the missing brothers to the internment centre in Ghallanai.
The bench disposed of the case of Warai Bibi, mother of internee Usman after the oversight board declared him as ‘black’ who was interned in the internment centre in Ghallanai.The court also disposed of the case of Basia Bibi filed for the safe recovery of her son Mewa Khan after he was declared a hardcore militant.
The bench also issued a notice to FCR commissioner to explain as to why the relatives were not given visitation right with the internees at Ghallanai internment centre.The bench asked the commissioner to explain as to why the court’s orders for allowing an internee to appear the Primary Teaching Course examination were not complied with.
The counsel for the internee Ataur Rehman, Taimur Haider Khan informed the bench that the court had issued order to political authorities and in-charge of the internment centre to allow and arrange security measures for the internee’s PTC examination, but the authorities concerned did not allow him to appear in the examination.
In another case, the bench directed the FCR commissioner to explain as to why the court’s orders about visitation rights were not complied with.Muhammad Arif Jan, counsel for petitioner Waheed Gul, informed the bench that the petitioner as per the court’s orders applied for meeting with detainee Qari Zahir Gul several times at internment centre at Ghallanai, but the authorities did not entertain the requests without any reasons.
The court gave the last chance and asked the provincial police officer to identify police officers involved in enforced disappearance of Jehangir Khan, the alleged ‘handler’ of a would-be teenage suicide bomber Bilal. The police first reported his arrest in the provincial capital but later denied that. The bench asked the IGP to submit the identification report within a week time.
During hearing of the case, the chief justice observed that the court had directed the IG Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 16, 2014 to submit the identification report of the police officers, but the police chief did not submit the compliance report to date.