Missing persons

[Sureshlasi]

The failure of certain government departments to comply with the Supreme Court orders concerning the case of a missing person, has led to the summoning of the interior and defence secretaries for an explanation. The authorities’ attitude on this matter is extremely regrettable. The government, it was observed, had not given the legal counsel access to one of the missing persons, who, the government claims, has been served an eight year sentence on charges of ‘spying.’ One fails to understand the thinking of the authorities on this count. On the one hand, the government claims to be supportive of the judiciary’s authority, and, on the other, feels it to be its prerogative to brazenly disobey orders. It is even more surprising given that the Interior Secretary Kamal Shah appeared in front of the Sindh High Court on Wednesday in connection with a show-cause notice that had been served to him for not obeying court orders in a similar case. Shah claimed audaciously to the court that he could never think of disobeying court orders. Moreover, the SC, as well as the SHC, had already previously observed in these cases, that the government was not doing its part to facilitate the hearings and was not taking the matter seriously. The latest summoning by the SC further underlines that point of view. In this regard, the court’s direction to the DG of the Crisis Management Cell to be present at every hearing is a welcome step and shows that despite the authorities’ seeming indifference over the matter, the court means business.

Aside from the legal aspects of the case, the humanitarian angle is equally depressing. That a man was sentenced by a military court minus a legal counsel goes against all norms and concepts of rights to a fair and transparent trial. If it is indeed too sensitive a matter to discuss in an open court, as the authorities would have it, the bench had given the government the option of explaining the situation privately in the judge’s chambers. Yet, this has not been done. It is shocking that countless citizens of the country have gone missing, in most cases without a trace. The government is already under fire for its perceived apathy towards the plight of the victims and their families.. Continuing to adopt such an attitude will win it no sympathy or support. When the interior and defence secretaries do show up before the court on July 5, one hopes they have good explanations ready.


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