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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Death in security forces’ custody

By Bureau report
May 26, 2018

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday ordered the provincial government to pay Shaheed Package to the legal heirs of a bank manager who had died in the custody of security forces after his forced disappearance on suspicion of having links with militant group.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Ikramullah Khan and Justice Musarrat Hilali allowed the writ petition seeking compensation of Shaheed Package to the legal heirs of the deceased bank employee. The court directed the bank to pay all the salaries to the family members of the deceased bank manager since 2010, from the date he was picked up by the security forces.

Widow of the deceased Nawab Khan, who was a bank manager, had filed the petition through her lawyers Aminur Rehman Yousafzai and Ziad Khan.

During hearing of the case, Aminur Rehman submitted that Nawab Khan was a manager at National Bank, Ghaligai branch in Swat district and the security forces picked him up from the bank in August 2010.

He said later the family members came to know that he was kept in internment centre in Swat district.

However, he stated that the family members then in October 2016 received body of the bank manager from the internment centre runs under the strict security of security forces. He said that the family members were told that he had died due to illness.

The lawyer argued that the deceased employee has neither suspended from the job nor terminated after forced disappearance and till his death in the forces custody.

He said the widow of the bank manager was entitled to salaries from the bank and Shaheed Package as he was neither charged nor convicted in terrorism charges. He requested the court to direct the government to pay Shaheed Package to the widow of the deceased bank manager and the bank to release salaries after his forces disappearance from the bank. The bench allowed the petition and directed both the government and the bank to pay Shaheed Package and salaries to legal heirs of the deceased bank manager.