The Islamabad High Court has ordered the recovery of the missing poet Ahmed Farhad Shah by May 24 and granted an extension to the state counsel for this purpose.
Shah, a journalist and poet, disappeared from his Islamabad home on May 14.
During a hearing by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, the interior secretary, the inspector general (IG) of Islamabad police, and the attorney general for Pakistan (AGP) were present.
At the start of the hearing, the AGP requested an additional two to four days to find Shah, assuring the court that the counsel could locate him within this period.
The court approved the extension, with Justice Kiyani asking if the AGP’s statements were made in consultation with the federal government.
The court also summoned the senior superintendent of police (SSP) operations to the stand and asked if the police had recorded any statements.
“The senior officer was not available, so we recorded a written statement from a junior officer and sent the report to the secretary of defense,” the SSP replied.
“This is your job, you have to do this,” Justice Kayani remarked.
Commenting on the defense secretary’s absence, the petitioner’s lawyer, Imaan Mazari, argued that the secretary never appears in court when summoned.
“If a prime minister can come to court, so can everyone else,” Justice Kayani stated.
Mazari expressed frustration over the recurring forced disappearances of individuals. “It always happens; they pick up people and then say that we don’t have them,” she said.
She added that this was not an isolated incident and emphasized that she represents such cases daily.
Mazari then questioned the state counsel about the progress made in the past six days, suggesting that if the agencies were not involved, the kidnappers should “at least be traceable.”
The court, ordering the recovery of the missing poet by Friday, adjourned the hearing.
Yesterday, the IHC instructed the Islamabad Police to obtain a statement from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) sector commander and submit a report today (Tuesday) regarding the alleged enforced disappearance of poet Ahmed Farhad Shah.
