On Thursday, the Sindh High Court instructed the federal secretaries of interior and defense to gather updated information regarding missing persons from all internment centers and agencies under their jurisdiction.
The SHC mandated that these reports must be presented at the upcoming hearing and cautioned the officials that failure to comply would necessitate their personal appearance in court.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the performance of a joint investigation team and a provincial task force (PTF) for missing persons, the bench ordered authorities to reconvene sessions of the JIT and PTF before the next hearings and submit comprehensive reports to the court.
A two-judge bench, led by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto, issued these directives while presiding over a series of petitions seeking the recovery of missing persons. The bench scrutinized progress reports submitted by the police and found many lacking in substance.
In certain instances, the bench noted, the deputy attorney general filed reports on behalf of the defense and interior ministries, denying allegations of custody of the individuals. In other cases, the federal law officer requested additional time to gather fresh reports from the ministries.
Consequently, the court instructed the secretaries of interior and defense to compile and present reports from all agencies under their purview at the next hearing.
