SHC warns of action against interior secretary for repeatedly violating orders

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday took exception to non-filing of reports about the presence of missing persons in the internment centres of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) by the federal ministry of interior and issued a show-cause notice to the interior secretary for not complying with the court orders.

Hearing a petition against the enforced disappearance of a citizen, an SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha observed that the interior secretary was directed to file reports from the internment centres in KP along with the name of detainees there but the order of the court was not obeyed.

The high court observed that if the interior secretary did not appear before the court on the next hearing along with a reply to the show-cause notice and the list of the internment centres with the names of the detainees held therein, the court may use coercive measures to ensure his appearance.

The SHC observed that it was noted that the interior secretary was continuously and frequently violating orders of the court. The bench observed that it was quite apparent from his conduct that he had no respect whatsoever for the orders of the court despite the fact that the court had been showing judicial restraint. The high court warned that if the court orders were not followed by the interior secretary, who appeared to be above the law, the court shall take appropriate action against him.