ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday expressed its dissatisfaction on a report submitted by the defence ministry in a case seeking recovery of a missing person, identified as Imran Sajjad.

When IHC judge Mohsin Akhtar Kayani took up the petition the elder brother of the missing person claimed that his brother was in the custody of an intelligence agency.

The judge termed the defence ministry’s report unsatisfactory and directed field officers of two intelligence agencies — ISI and MI — to appear before the court at the next hearing on March 13. The field officers would submit a report in sealed envelopes whether or not the “detained” person was involved in anti-state activities.

Syed Ali Abbas, the petitioner and the brother of Sajjad, a resident of Chakwal had moved the court through his counsel Hafiz Arafat Ahmed and had made the federation of Pakistan through the interior secretary, Inspector General Islamabad Police, the defence secretary and the ISI director general as respondents.

The petitioner has contended that he and his family belonged to a respectable religious family and their father was “Makhdoom” of Gahi Sharif and he is a prominent religious scholar in the locality. He is also a well-known political personality of district Chakwal, he said.

He said that they were seven brothers and two sisters and of them, Sajjad,3 4, is a PhD student in Iran. Sajjad is married to a religious woman who was also studying in Iran along with him and the couple has two daughters and a son. He was also an office-bearer of a student body of his university. The said body is involved in welfare activities for Pakistani students in Iran, the petitioner said.

The petitioner maintained that the alleged detenu always actively participated in religious and social activities in his native town. He returned to Pakistan during his vacations to meet his family and on April 17, 2016, Sajjad along with his driver namely Khurram Shehzad went to Sargodha to meet a friend. On way to Islamabad back, he was picked up on April 19, 2016, he said.

He continued that the petitioner moved from pillar to post to make out the whereabouts of his brother and his driver but all efforts remained fruitless.

Ali siad that he has learnt on good authority that his brother Sajjad and his driver were in the custody of the ISI. He contended that his brother was never charged with any specific offence, nor has he ever been notified of any pending or contemplated charges against him in any jurisdiction.

He argued that the enforced disappearance of persons was considered to be a crime against humanity all over the world in view of Article 1 of United Nations General Assembly Declaration.

The petitioner prayed to the court to issue directives to the said agency to immediately produce both his brother and driver before the court if they have committed criminal offences.