Judicial Commission seeks report on 7 missing persons

ISLAMABAD Judicial Commission established for recovery of the missing persons on Friday during a high level hearing directed Joint Investigation Team to submit its final report on seven missing person cases today (Saturday), it was reliably learnt. Joint Investigation Team formulated in November last year for the missing persons cases could not submit its report regarding old and chronic cases of Masood Janjua, Faisal Faraz, Atiqur Rehman, Dr. Abid, Mansoor Mehdi, Idrees Abbasi ,and Ali Asghar Bangalzai to the Judicial Commission even after lapse of several months. Sources close to the development reliably told that during Fridays hearing the eight-member team comprising representatives of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Special Branch, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was strictly directed to submit its final report to the commission today (Saturday) by 3 pm. The relatives of missing persons families, representatives of Interior and Defence Ministry, ISI, IB, FIA and relevant police officials attended the hearing. It is to be mentioned here that Ministry of Interior had constituted an eight-member investigation team to resolve the issue of missing persons within a period of one week. According to the sources, the decision was taken during a meeting between Minister for Interior Rehman Malik and Amina Masood Janjua, whose husband Masood Janjua has been missing since May 2005. Amina Masood Janjua is leading a movement named Defence of Human Rights (DHR) for the recovery of missing persons in Pakistan. During the meeting, a joint investigation team was constituted on the directive of Ministry of Interior. The team had been assigned the task of resolving the issue of missing persons within a week. According to sources the Joint Investigation teams had held several meetings under chairmanship of City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi. When approached relatives of the missing persons said, many committees were constituted in the past but the issue could not be resolved. They also opined that judges of Judicial Commission are trying their best for recovery of their relatives. It is worth mentioning that DHR has so far registered 665 cases of missing persons. The Ministry Of Interior in its August 2009 report revealed that 1,291 persons were still missing in the country. After repeated reminders and meetings, the ministry had promised to submit report on October 1, 2009 regarding missing Masood Janjua, but it failed to bring the report or achieve any breakthrough in tracing the 'disappeared loved-ones. The families of missing persons have now pinned hopes on Judicial Commission for recovery of their near and dear ones.