SHC tells IGP to personally take up missing children’s cases

Expressing dissatisfaction with the police’s efforts to trace 20 children reportedly missing from the city, the Sindh High Court on Thursday directed the provincial police chief to look into the matter personally to ensure the children are recovered.

Hearing a petition for the recovery of the missing children, an SHC division bench headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto took exception to the non-appearance of the Federal Investigation Agency’s officer who has been directed to assist the police in the investigation.

A progress report has been submitted on behalf of CIA DIG Dr Mohammad Amin Yousufzai mentioning the details of the efforts being taken in the case. He submitted that the FIA has been approached to trace the whereabouts of missing children and to verify as to whether these children were used in human smuggling, but the FIA was yet to respond.

He further said that advertisements have been published in various newspapers with regard to the missing children along with their details and TV channels were also approached to telecast announcements about them.

According to his report, a six-year-old girl named Bisma has been recovered from Korangi, however, no one could be arrested for being involved in her kidnapping.

The court expressed dissatisfaction with the police’s progress and questioned why the culprits involved in the kidnapping of the recovered girl could not be arrested.

The bench directed the police to make all efforts, including the use of modern techniques, to ensure that the kids are recovered, and also directed the director general of FIA to appear in person and submit a report as to whether these children were used in human smuggling.

The head of the special team was also asked to make all efforts to recover the missing children and appear before the court along with a progress report justifying efforts which have been taken so far to find them.

The petitioner Roshni Helpline Trust had moved the court asking it to issue directives to the police that missing children’s cases be considered as a cognisable offence and investigation should be initiated without any delay.

The counsel for the petitioner had submitted that the whereabouts of 24 children were still untraceable and requested the court to direct the police to recover them. The petitioner said the cases of missing children were not properly investigated and as a result many children had lost their lives.