The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has asked the federal government whether the intelligence agencies will run this country or it will be governed in accordance with the law.
During the hearing of a petition on Monday against the alleged enforced disappearance of Kashmiri poet and journalist Ahmed Farhad Shah, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani ordered the interior and defence secretaries to appear in person before the court at 3pm on Tuesday (today).
The high court also directed the police investigation officer to record the statement of the sector commander of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and submit a report. Justice Kayani asked if the ISI sector commander lives on the moon, what his status is and if he is not a Grade 18 officer.
Addressing a defence ministry representative who appeared in the court, the judge told him to let the sector commander remain in his limits and not to serve him, as the country could run without him. The court then inquired whether the intelligence agencies would run the country or it would be governed in accordance with the law.
The representative of the ministry of defence told the IHC that missing poet Ahmed Farhad Shah was not in custody of the ISI. He said the ISI had been accused of kidnapping the missing person, but the agency had denied his arrest or detention.
Justice Kayani observed that the matter was now out of the jurisdiction of the ISI and the MI and they were merely telling the court about their failure. The court directed the interior and defence secretaries to appear in person and file their statements.
The court further observed that it will pass an order, and then this matter will go beyond the kidnapping of a person. It said this is not a simple matter and it will set a precedent. The court also observed that on the one hand they were sending messages and on the other they were saying that the person was not in their custody.
The IHC judge said both secretaries of interior and defence would appear before the court now, and then the court would summon the prime minister and the federal cabinet members.Additional Attorney General Munawar Iqbal Duggal said an FIR of the incident had been registered and police were investigating the matter.
