The Islamabad High Court (IHC) summoned on Tuesday Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on February 19 in the case of Baloch missing students.
At the hearing, Assistant Attorney General (AAG) Usman Ghumman informed the court that one missing student had been recovered. He requested the court to postpone the hearing due to the attorney general’s unavailability. However, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani rejected the AAG’s plea and summoned the interim premier next week. Justice Kayani maintained, “PM Kakar must appear in person on Monday at 10 AM, and explain why we should not register a case against him.” He further remarked that the punishment for enforced disappearances should be a death sentence, and “those responsible for them should be given multiple death sentences”. PM Kakar was previously summoned in the case on November 26 along with the interior, defence, and human rights ministers. The court released its written order, reviewing the implementation of recommendations proposed by a commission on the missing Baloch students. According to the order, 69 Baloch students were subjected to racial profiling, harassed, and forcibly disappeared.
According to the record, some disappeared students later returned home while 50 of them were still missing. “Former IHC chief justice Athar Minallah had constituted the commission. The additional attorney general confessed that still some students were missing,” according to the order. The order mentioned that the interim prime minister and interior minister, both hailing from Balochistan, failed to take any positive steps on the matter.
“Even after 21 hearings, the absence of positive results is an insult to the constitution of Pakistan,” the order read.
“There is no way out except to summon the prime minister and ministers of interior and defence to inform the court, why the matter is not being given due importance,” the order maintained.
“Hopefully the prime minister, ministers, and secretaries will appear in court with substantial results and inform it that missing students have reached their homes,” it further stated.
