IHC summons top officials in Ahmed Farhad disappearance case

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday summoned the interior and defence secretaries in a case related to the disappearance of poet Ahmed Farhad.

When IHC judge Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani resumed hearing, Ahmed Farhad’s lawyer, Imaan Mazari, informed the court that Ahmed’s wife, Aruj Zainab, received a WhatsApp call.

She said that the caller stated that her husband would return if she withdrew her petition and tell the court that Farhad Ahmed disappeared voluntarily. She said that this was a clear case of enforced disappearance, otherwise, the caller would have demanded ransom.

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani remarked that Ahmed Farhad must be produced before the court. The judge said that keeping someone in captivity after abduction is a serious offense, and the label of an abductor should be removed from institutions.

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The judge said that defence secretary should appear personally in court; otherwise, an arrest warrant would be issued.

The court granted the authorities until 3pm for a reply. When the hearing resumed after 3pm, the defence ministry representative informed the court that ISI denied involvement in the abduction although the ISI has been the main accused.

Justice Kayani stated the case has gone beyond the jurisdiction of the ISI and MI, and that the authorities are trying to cover up their failure. They should submit their report in writing, the judge told the authorities.

Justice Kayani said that once he delivered the judgment, the case would move away from mere allegations of abduction to somewhere else. The judge warned that the case would not be taken lightly and that an example would be set.

“This case is not straightforward; it serves as an example. On the one hand, messages are being sent, and on the other hand, the claim is made that the person is not in their custody,” the judge observed.

During the hearing, Justice Kayani asked the defence ministry’s lawyer if he had ever been abducted. Those who have experienced abduction know what it feels like, the judge said.

Subsequently, the court adjourned the case for further hearing till tomorrow.