Burney moves SHC against 189 Pak prisoners missing from Indian jails

KARACHI: Chairman Ansar Burney Trust International and Pakistan’s former Federal Minister for Human Rights, Ansar Burney Advocate on Saturday filed a constitutional petition No 459/2016 in the Sindh High Court after the reports of 189 Pakistani prisoners missing from Indian Jails.

According to a press release Ansar Burney Advocate in a statement said that he shocked at Pakistan government and ?Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s criminal silence and ignorance on reports relating to 189 Pakistani prisoners missing from Indian prisons, so he decided to file a constitutional petition in the High Court.

In the petition filed through Ansar Burney Trust Director Shagufta Burney and Manager Muhammad Danish Ali, it said that it is a matter of record that on 31-5-2008 a bilateral agreement on consular access was executed between Pakistan and India under which both countries exchange a detailed list of prisoners of each country lodged in other country’s prisons twice each year i.e. on January 01 and July 01.

The petition said that in continuation and pursuance of this agreement on January 01, 2016 both countries exchanged their respective lists of such prisoners through diplomatic channels. It has transpired that a major difference/discrepancy in the Indian list is found, as Pakistani list claims 460 prisoners lodged in Indian Jails while Indian list confirms only 271 of Pakistani prisoners, meaning thereby that about 189 Pakistani prisoners are mysteriously missing from Indian Jails.

Sensing the gravity of this grave issue chairman of Ansar Burney Trust Int. took this matter with concerned authorities of Pakistan including both the respondents and wrote letters and reminders to all of them to take an immediate and timely action upon this severe issue by taking up this matter with the Indian government, to find out the missing Pakistani nationals, before it’s too late.

Regretfully there has been no response, interpreting or communicating the efforts of the government of whatsoever from any side of our government. Ansar Burney Trust also raised its voice on this serious issue through print and electronic media to get the attention of concerned authorities so they may take an immediate action in this specific behalf to do the needful but to no avail.

Ansar Burney in his petition prayed that this Hon’ble Court may graciously be pleased to take cognizance of this serious matter and may graciously be pleased to issue notices to both respondents, order both respondents to immediately present a detailed report in this regard before this Hon’ble Court as to what serious efforts have been made.