Islamabad High Court issues written order summoning interim PM Kakar in missing Baloch students case
Feb 19, 2024
Islamabad [Pakistan], February 19 : The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued a written order reaffirming its earlier directives to caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar and secretaries of relevant ministries to personally attend the upcoming hearing on Monday regarding the case of missing Baloch students, Geo News reported.
The 4-page order, issued by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani on Sunday, outlined that the Prime Minister of Pakistan, as well as the defence, human rights, and interior ministries, along with their respective secretaries, must ensure their physical presence at the scheduled hearing on February 19 at 10 am.
In the preceding hearing on February 13, the court had specifically instructed the interim prime minister to appear before the bench.
Despite a request for adjournment due to the unavailability of the attorney general, Justice Kayani rejected the plea and emphasized that those implicated in enforced disappearances should face the death penalty, as reported by Geo News.
"People involved [in enforced disappearances] should be given the death penalty twice," remarked Justice Kayani. He directed the caretaker PM to personally appear and provide an explanation as to why a case should not be registered against him.
However, the advocate general pleaded for more time in the case, a request that Justice Kayani declined to entertain, maintaining the court's stance.
This marks the second summons for PM Kakar by the IHC. The last summons occurred on November 29, 2023, in response to a case filed by Advocate Imaan Mazari. On that occasion, the prime minister did not appear, citing his absence from the country.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the IHC's insistence on the personal appearance of PM Kakar and ministry secretaries underscores the gravity of the missing Baloch students' case, Geo News reported.
