ISLAMABAD: The counsel for
Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI)
has revealed in the Supreme Court that Indian spy agency Researchand
Analysis Wing (RAW) and Israel’s Mossad are active in Pakistan. He was
speaking during the hearing of the missing persons case.
He said that they were behind kidnappings in the country and were being helped by terrorist groups.
The chief justice asked the defence counsel if the agencies had any credible information of the involvement of RAW and Mossad, and why they did not take any against them. “We did not bar you from taking action against RAW and Mossad.”
Terming the intelligence agencies’ reply
on Adiala missing persons unsatisfactory, the apex court on Friday took
suo motu notice against the abduction of a boy who used to provide food
at camps set up by the relatives of missing persons outside parliament.
A three judge-bench headed by Chief
Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry directed Inspector General of Police
Islamabad and Attorney General of Pakistan Maulvi Anwarul Haq to submit a
report of the incident by March 17 and present the abductee before the
court on March 19.
Addressing Maulvi Anwarul Haq and Raja Irshad, counsel for ISI
and MI, the chief justice said that this time a man was abducted right
under the nose of the federal government. Advocate Tariq Asad the
counsel for missing persons told the court that Omar Mehmood Khan was
picked up by the intelligence agencies because he used to serve the food
to the families at the missing persons’ camp at D-Chowk (in front of
the Parliament).
Raja Arshad rejected the allegations,
stating that the military intelligence agencies were not involved in
missing persons’ episodes.
A family recently returned from Canada
through a letter had informed the Human Rights Cell of the apex court
that one of their family members, Omar Mehmood Khan, 24, was abducted by
the agencies on March 10 near Orchid Scheme in Islamabad.
“After going through the contents of the
letter last night, we issued notices to IGP Islamabad that what kind
of high-handedness was underway by none other than officials of
agencies, even in the federal capital city,” the chief justice informed
the attorney general.
The letter suggests that Omar was
kidnapped in the same style as was used in picking up many other missing
persons. Men driving two double cabins with tinted glasses, a black
corolla, a white Suzuki Baleno and a Suzuki Mehran picked up the boy in
front of his father, mother and a younger brother.
Omar’s mother, Dr Rubina was also
present in the court today. The chief justice, while calming her down,
said that “we will not allow anyone to act above the law”, adding that
the agencies were not above the Constitution.
Advocate Raja Irshad asked the court why all blame was leveled on the ISI
and MI. The chief justice said that, “We respect our armed forces and
intelligence agencies, but when they detracted then the court and media
expressed concerns and you cannot stop us from this.”
During the last hearing, the court had
rejected explanatory reports submitted by the lawyer of the agencies and
termed them unsatisfactory, and had also sought a detailed report from
the chief secretary of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The K-P chief secretary
submitted a report on the health of inmates today, which was appreciated
by the court.
Counsel for detainee Hafiz Majid,
Advocate Tariq Asad informed the court that his client was suffering
from Cancer and Hepatitis C, and asked that permission be granted to
shift him to Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital in Lahore.
The court was informed that the health
condition of at least three prisoners was still not satisfactory. The
chief justice asked Raja Irshad how the detainees were being treated.
“Were they not human? Why a fair trial right was denied to them? We will
proceed against you after deciding initial things – you will tell us
how the four of them died in your custody.”
Advocate general of K-P will submit a
report within three days on which internment centers inmates will be
kept at. The court also asked him to arrange a place where relatives of
these inmates could see them easily.
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