Mrs. Janjua where art thou? – by pejamistri
A few days back when I wrote “Do you remember Sajjad Ali Shah”, in the heart of my hearts I prayed that I was wrong.
It is true that during the struggle against the 21st century mad dictator (General Musharraf) in Pakistan, Supreme Court Judges of Pakistan including the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry were a symbol of unity and faith among the people of divergent views and political thoughts. It is also true that despite the primary objective of throwing the tyrant out , another ambition most of the people taking part in this movement had was an independent judiciary that will have no fear in dispensing justice to the people of Pakistan without any prejudice.
This ambition was not without a reason; unlike the movement against General Ayub Khan or General Zia in which the students and political workers respectively were the main force against the dictators, the 21st century struggle had a pleasant support from an unexpected quarter, i.e., higher judiciary of Pakistan. People rightly started having great expectations from the Judiciary particularly looking towards the CJ IMC, because they noticed a sort of defiance from him in front of the dictator. Not only that the other judges started showing a great courage when interrogating the intelligence officials in their court. That is why the “Missing Persons Case” became the most important weapon in the struggle against the dictator.
For those who have been taking part in the internet blogs waging the war against the mad dictator on cyberspace, Mrs. Janjua and her cries were a unity factor among people from all political parties. The missing persons case was vehemently followed by the media and a lot of rallies were arranged.
Today I am more than disappointed when after so many months of hearing the missing persons case by the Apex court, “My Lord” declared that “it will not examine evidence against intelligence agencies in the missing persons’ case” .
Does anybody know if Mrs. Janjua found “Mr. Janjua” , or are we going to have another Aafia Case in a US court?
First published on pejamistri’s blog
Related article:
Amina Masood Janjua has changed her mind
The missing persons: All but forgotten by our saviour, the Chief Justice of Pakistan?
Another troubling development is the pronouncement by the SC bench hearing the missing persons case that it would no longer examine the role of intelligence agencies. This case was a feather in the present SC and its CJ’s cap for having challenged for the first time in our history, the culture of impunity enjoyed by our intelligence agencies. Since they are widely believed to be behind the disappearance of thousands of persons in complete violation of the law and constitution, the SC seems to have retreated from its commitment to provide justice to the relatives and families of the ‘disappeared’. Surely this is not what the CJ meant by serving justice to the people.
Editorial, Daily Times
http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\02\21\story_21-2-2010_pg3_1
Rough Cut
Pakistan: Disappeared One woman’s search rouses a nation BY DAVID MONTERO
September 06, 2007 http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2007/09/pakistan_the_di.html
Amina Masood Janjua was an ordinary Pakistani housewife, proud of her country and loyal to its military. But all that changed on July 30, 2005, when her husband never came home. She would later learn that he was detained by Pakistan’s powerful intelligence agency, the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), on charges that have yet to be made clear. He was locked away in an undisclosed location without a trial and has not been heard from since.
International human rights groups estimate that several hundred Pakistanis have disappeared under the government label of “terrorism suspects” since September 11. Their families are not informed of their whereabouts — a flagrant violation of Pakistan’s constitution. For many, their crime was apparently being either an overly devout Muslim or an outspoken critic of President Pervez Musharraf, the military general who seized power in 1999.
Most families of the disappeared have suffered silently, too afraid to speak out. But this is the story of one woman who dared to go in search of her husband, and in the process, launched a movement that has shaken Pakistan’s military-led government.
“There’s not a single country in the world that is targeting its own people like Pakistan,” Janjua, a mother of three, told me. “I’ve been telling people that this is like a flood. If you don’t stand up today, you’ll be taken away tomorrow.”
I was a reporter with The Christian Science Monitor in Pakistan between 2005 and 2007, and I met Janjua after reading about her protests in the local newspapers. I began to follow her story and the questions she has raised.
No country has been so indispensable an ally in the U.S. war on terrorism as Pakistan. Nor has one been so handsomely rewarded. Pakistan’s government has handed over more terrorism suspects — several hundred, in fact — than any other country in the world. In return, it’s received millions of dollars in compensation. That’s just a portion of the $1 billion it has gotten annually from Washington for counter-terrorism operations since September 11.
There are significant incentives for Pakistan to make arrests, but who exactly has been arrested, and who makes the determination whether these people are terrorists or not? Are those in custody treated in accordance with the human rights and due process standards that the constitutions of both Pakistan and the United States firmly espouse? Asking these questions publicly is dangerous in Pakistan, a country whose intelligence agencies function like a state within a state and whose government is ruled by a military dictator, General Musharraf.
But that could be changing thanks to the courage of one woman. Janjua has done the unthinkable in a country where women’s voices are routinely ignored and often suppressed: She’s used the weapons of democracy — street protests, the free press and the country’s courts — to launch the first direct public campaign against the ISI, which has held sway in Pakistan as a kind of shadow government.
What began as Janjua’s private quest for her husband has become a movement that has rocked Pakistan’s military regime. A case she filed against the government was taken up in January 2007 by Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the chief justice of Pakistan’s Supreme Court.
Chaudhry was so outraged by the government’s actions that, for the first time in Pakistan’s 60-year history, he forced the ISI and police branches to release prisoners they had long denied holding.
The response has been explosive: In March, Musharraf unceremoniously sacked Chaudhry, sparking weeks of national protests. Many believe that Musharraf, increasingly weakened and abandoned by his allies, could eventually fall. And now, after a long legal wrangle, the chief justice has been reinstated, making Musharraf’s hold on power look weaker than ever. In a direct challenge to the regime, Chaudhry has already ruled that the general’s two main political opponents, former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, can return from exile abroad and challenge Musharraf in Pakistan’s national elections, scheduled for this fall.
Meanwhile, the case of the disappeared continues to gather momentum. Many of the missing have been quietly released, and they are now speaking out about their experience. I managed to secure an interview with one such man, but only after Janjua convinced him that meeting with me would be safe. He was small and trim and soft spoken in a way that was oddly juxtaposed against his gritty ordeal in prison. Held illegally by the ISI for two years, the man told me that he’d been tortured and warned not to speak about his detention. When I asked him if Americans had ever interrogated him, he said he did not want to answer. In interviews with the international print media, several Pakistanis have said they were interrogated by Americans and other foreigners. When I asked officials at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad about this, they told me they could not comment about the issue. They promised to forward my request onto Washington, but said they doubted anyone would respond. There still has been no response.
Janjua has helped pry back the lid on the most secretive organization in Pakistan, the ISI, and its conduct since 9/11. Along the way, she’s inspired an unprecedented national discourse. Today, Pakistani citizens who would never dare to publicly criticize the ISI are doing so freely in newspaper editorials, talk shows and tea stalls throughout the country.
To date, the Supreme Court has compelled the government to release 60 missing persons. But as these detainees reunite with their families for the first time in years, Janjua, the woman who started the whole campaign, still has no word about the fate of her own husband.
— David Montero
The missing link Friday, December 29, 2006 Rizwan Ehsan Ali
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=5004
RAWALPINDI: The missing link was never so obvious. Agonised relatives, who have no clue where their loved ones — allegedly picked up ages ago — are made for one depressing, if not heartrending sight Thursday.
Placard-holding women and children held a demonstration close to Flashmans Hotel here. But the police force stopped the procession going beyond Flashmans Hotel.
“We planned a ‘freedom walk’ and wanted to hand over a letter to the vice chief of army staff in the General Headquarters (GHQ),” said Amina Masood, whose husband Masood Ahmed Janjua has been missing since July 30, 2005.
Masood is among at least 105 persons missing from all over the country during the last five to six years. The SSPs, SHOs and dozens of constables from various police stations of Rawalpindi were deployed at the roadsides and tried their best to disperse the procession that lasted nearly two hours.
A handful of policewomen were also present at the rally and helped their male colleagues once the protesting women tried to walk towards the GHQ. “Do we belong to the same country,” questioned one aggrieved woman from an SHO when she was stopped. “Do we have arms in our hand? Why are you stopping us?” she shouted.
The women shouted slogans and demanded the release of their males before Eid-ul-Azha. Some of the women and their children were even crying. In an unfortunate incident that could easily have been avoided by the security personnel a young man, Mohammad bin Masood, son of Masood Ahmed, was dragged into a police van and forcibly driven away from the scene.
“The police have even arrested some of our women,” claimed Amina Masood.
“You can’t go beyond Flashmans,” an SSP told the protesting women.
Some protesting women and children were in the compound of Flashmans Hotel but could not join their fellow-protesters on the roadside as policemen locked the main gate of the hotel.
The children were seen jumping over the main gate, and after a lot of deliberations, policemen finally opened the gates. However, by that time at least seven children of the missing persons had jumped over the gate.
Agencies add: The protesters have been campaigning for months to seek information on the fate of the detainees, who are allegedly held in prisons run by secret agencies. Police roughed up several of the protesters and detained at least six of them, witnesses said.
“We just wanted to hold a peaceful march and hand over a memorandum to the vice chief of army staff demanding the release of our loved ones,” one of the protesters, Amna Masood Janjua, later told reporters.
Janjua said she had been told by other people released from army custody that her husband was being held by the military, along with hundreds of others.
Khalid Khawaja, chief coordinator of the Defence of Human Rights, a group seeking information and the release of the missing people, said the group possesses the names of 105 detainees.
Police broke up the rally and took away photographs of the missing people from the hands of the protesters, Khawaja said, of the rally.
“Nothing like this happens in any other country in the world,” he said.
Human rights groups have accused the security forces of detaining people illegally, without bringing them to court or giving them access to lawyers or families.
AP/Reuters add: Dozens of relatives of Pakistanis detained by the state’s intelligence agency for suspected links with militants rallied Thursday near the army headquarters demanding their release.
The protesters have been campaigning for months to seek information on the fate of the detainees, who are allegedly held in prisons run by the Inter-Services Intelligence.
Police roughed up several of the protesters and detained at least six of them after the protesters were stopped and tried to stage a sit-in on a road near the gates of the building, witnesses said.
“We just wanted to hold a peaceful march and hand over a memorandum to the vice chief of army staff demanding the release of our loved ones,” one of the protesters, Amna Masood Janjua, later told reporters.
Janjua said her husband has been missing since July 2005 and she had been told by other people released from army custody that he was being held by the military, along with hundreds of others.
Khalid Khawaja, chief coordinator of the Defense of Human Rights, a group seeking information and the release of the missing people, said that the group possesses the names of 105 detainees.
About 100 relatives of the detainees, including women and children, wanted to present an appeal at the army headquarters. But police stopped them, said Khawaja, who helped organize the rally in Rawalpindi.
Police broke up the rally and took away photographs of the missing people from the hands of the protesters, Khawaja said.
“Nothing like this happens in any other country in the world,” he said. Human rights groups have accused Pakistani security forces of detaining people illegally, without bringing them to court or giving them access to lawyers or families.
Some comments on this post (via Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi’s facebook page):
http://www.facebook.com/aliabbaszaidi?v=feed&story_fbid=354205521275
Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi
Are some strings being pulled ?
9 hours ago
Salman Siddiqui
Bull-shit man!! ISI is our daddy!! 🙁
9 hours ago
Mahnoor Shahid
Sad
9 hours ago
Salman Siddiqui
Hell with justice!!
8 hours ago
Mahnoor Shahid
Any ideas why this happened? Lack of guts????
8 hours ago
Salman Siddiqui
Its hard to sacrifice your love ones for justice!! 🙁
8 hours ago
Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi
Who gives a state organ the license to abduct Pakistanis (1000s in numbers) and then dont even tell where they are 🙁
8 hours ago
Salman Siddiqui
Admit Ali.. No justice now! Power rulez!!!
8 hours ago
Mahnoor Shahid
And some army stooges still glorify the criminals.
8 hours ago
Aun Maken
that’s sad, disappointing, and what not …
giving away these innocent Pakistanis was one thing that made me hate Mushy and if this court has decided not to examine evidence against that i have lost all the respect and faith i had in it…
i saw ‘my name is khan’ lately, i duno if its been released in pak yet… the message that has been conveyed…
See More
4 hours ago
Shahid Saeed Khan
It’s not called lacking guts. It’s called nature of the case.
The litigant’s lawyer have not questioned the authority of the abducting agencies ion their complaint and neither did they raise it in their opening arguments. It is against court proceedings to bring new charges up in a criminal case. This ensures a smooth sailing.
3 hours ago
Muhammad Bakhtawar Khan
My God, pehley hi hum FBI aur Black water sey tang aye howey they, aur ab humari apni ISI bhi. is moqey pey mujhey aik sher yaad aa raha hey,…(gheiroan sey kia shikwa karna, jab apney hi beyganey nikley).
about an hour ago
Amna Khalid
What is the authentic source of this statement? I want to know if SC has actually said this.
about an hour ago
Shahid Saeed Khan
Court proceedings aren’t recorded. They ‘re reported only by correspondents. We have to take their word.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/07-evidence-against-agencies-not-to-be-examined-sc-ha-08
about an hour ago
Amna Khalid
seems like strings are being pulled, i am way too disappointed to comment:(
about an hour ago
I spoke to Samad Khurram, who spoke to Mrs. Junjua. According to Samad, she deines that any such thing has happened.
Of course, she is not a reporter and if a document is realized to reporters it does not mean that it will also be relased to her.
I guess she was in denial.
Anyway, we’re back to where we started.
@Khawer Khan Perhaps it is not only Mrs. Janjua who is in a state of denial but also your source, Samad Khurram. After all, this is the same chap, “Zaid Hamid in making?’, who accepted a scholarship at Harvard but refused a certificate from the US ambassador to protest American policy on Pakistan.
Samad Khurram!!!!
Perhaps the real question I should ask is, why do I even care? When I took time off from Harvard to be part of the lawyers’ movement I had seen a ray of hope. There were concerned citizens and lawyers who stood for what was right, no matter what the consequences. We fought for a principle and won, with the hope that things will slowly improve. Today the very judges we had faith in released the Lal Masjid cleric whose crimes everyone knows about. If the judiciary was going to release people whose crimes were recorded on TV, perhaps it does explain why the Taliban are growing popular. Having said that, rays of hope like Afzal Khan Lala, who has refused to move from Swat while he is alive, appear every now and then. However, he stands alone in facing the storm. Other than Ayaz Amir, not a single Pakistani leader has spoken out against the Taliban. Will the real leader who can get rid of these monsters stand up, please? Imran Khan? Qazi? Nawaz Sharif? This silence is criminal! The Taliban are here By Samad Khurram http://www.thenews.com.pk/editorial_detail.asp?id=173372
And same Mr Samad Khurram was “looking after” CJ’s visit to the USA and of course Aitzaz Ahsan [PPP] was there as well:
CJ Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and USA http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2008/12/cj-iftikhar-muhammad-chaudhry-and-usa.html
Wouldn’t the meeting of CJ with a key US Figure jeopardize [or already jeopardized the case] and compromised the pending case.
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry met visiting US envoy Richard Holbrooke in the Supreme Court building on FridayBy Matiullah Jan Saturday, 06 Jun, 2009 05:29 AM PST http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/13+cj+receives+holbrooke+calls+on+zardari-za-12
لاپتہ افراد: عدالت پالیسی بنائےگی
وقتِ اشاعت: Friday, 27 April, 2007, 09:48 GMT 14:48 PST
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/story/2007/04/070427_missing_hearing_si.shtml
احمد رضا
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آباد
لاپتہ افراد کے لواحقین گزشتہ کئی ماہ سے سپریم کورٹ کے سامنے احتجاج کر رہے ہیں
سپریم کورٹ کے دو رکنی بینچ کے سربراہ جسٹس جاوید اقبال نے کہا ہے کہ جب تک لوگوں کے پراسرار طور پر لاپتہ ہونے کے خلاف کوئی باقاعدہ قانون نہیں بنتا سپریم کورٹ ایک ایسی پالیسی یا گائیڈ لائنز بنائے گی جو لوگوں کو تحفظ فراہم کرے۔
جمعہ کو لاپتہ افراد کے مقدمے کی سماعت کے موقع پر انہوں نے ایک سے زیادہ مرتبہ یہ بات دہرائی اور لاپتہ افراد کے ورثاء اور وکلاء سے کہا کہ وہ جذباتی نہ ہوں اور صبر سے کام لیں۔
جسٹس جاوید اقبال کی سربراہی میں قائم اس دو رکنی بینچ میں دوسرے رکن جسٹس شاکراللہ جان شامل تھے۔
مقدمے کی گزشتہ سماعت پر عدالت عظمی نے داخلہ اور دفاع کے وفاقی سیکریٹریوں، اٹارنی جنرل آف پاکستان اور وفاقی محکمہ داخلہ کے کرائسس منجمینٹ سیل کے سربراہ بریگیڈئر (ر) جاوید اقبال چیمہ کو عدالت میں پیش ہونے اور لاپتہ افراد کے بارے میں تفصیلی رپورٹ پیش کرنے کا حکم دیا تھا۔
جمعہ کو سیکریٹری داخلہ سید کمال شاہ اور اٹارنی جنرل مخدوم علی خان پیش نہیں ہوئے۔
اس طرح ماورائے قانون کارروائیاں نہیں ہونی چاہئیں۔ کوئی جنگل کا قانون تو نہیں ہے، جب قانون موجود ہے تو پھر کیوں قانون کے مطابق کارروائی نہیں کی جاتی
جسٹس جاوید اقبال
سیکریٹری داخلہ کی علالت کا سرٹیفیکیٹ پیش کیا گیا جبکہ سیکریٹری دفاع کامران رسول، جاوید اقبال چیمہ اور حکومت کی جانب سے ڈپٹی اٹارنی جنرل چوہدری افراسیاب پیش ہوئے۔
انہوں نے عدالت کو بتایا کہ انسانی حقوق کمیشن پاکستان کی جانب سے جن 148 لاپتہ افراد کی فہرست دی گئی ہے ان میں سے 56 افراد کا پتہ چل گیا ہے۔
بریگیڈئر (ر) چیمہ نے عدالت کو بتایا کہ ان 56 افراد میں زیادہ تر لوگ آزاد ہیں جن کی تعداد 45 ہے جبکہ 3 افراد کے خلاف مقدمات زیرسماعت ہیں، ایک سزا یافتہ ہے، ایک فوجی بھگوڑا ہے اور 6 زیر حراست ہیں۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ ان میں سے ایک شخص ذوالفقار ملک پاکستان سیکیورٹی ایکٹ کے تحت زیرحراست ہے۔
جسٹس جاوید اقبال نے ان سے کہا کہ باقی لوگوں کا کیا ہوا۔ ڈپٹی اٹارنی جنرل اور بریگیڈئر (ر) چیمہ نے عدالت سے کہا کہ انسانی حقوق کمیشن کی جانب سے لاپتہ افراد کی جو فہرست دی گئی ہے ان میں زیادہ تر کے کوائف درج نہیں ہیں جس کی وجہ سے حکومت کو ان افراد کا پتہ چلانے میں مشکل پیش آرہی ہے۔
انسانی حقوق کمیشن کی چئرپرسن عاصمہ جہانگیر نے عدالت سے کہا کہ وہ ایسے افراد کے پتے اور دیگر تفصیلات جمع کررہے ہیں اور آئندہ شنوائی پر عدالت میں پیش کردیں گے۔
وزارت داخلہ کی جانب سے 56 افراد کی فہرست میں جن افراد کو رہا اور زیر حراست بتایاگیا ہے ان کی حراست کی وجوہات اور حالات کے بارے میں کوئی تذکرہ نہیں ملتا
فخرالدین جی ابراہیم
انسانی حقوق کمیشن کی نمائندگی کرنے والے سینئر قانون دان فخرالدین جی ابراہیم نے کہا کہ حکومت کوائف کی عدم دستیابی کو بہانہ بنا رہی ہے۔ ”انہیں تو یہ دیکھنا ہے کہ کیا فلاں شخص جو فلاں صوبے یا شہر کا ہے ان کی حراست میں ہے یا نہیں اور اگر ہے تو کیوں ہے۔،،
انہوں نے کہا کہ ”ہم نےتو لسٹ میں وہ تاریخ بھی دی ہیں جب ان افراد کو حراست میں لیا گیا۔،،
انہوں نے کہا کہ وزارت داخلہ کی جانب سے 56 افراد کی فہرست میں جن افراد کو رہا اور زیر حراست بتایاگیا ہے ان کی حراست کی وجوہات اور حالات کے بارے میں کوئی تذکرہ نہیں ملتا۔ انہوں نے عدالت سے یہ بھی استدعا کی کہ ان کے مؤکل کو زیرحراست افراد سے ملاقات کرنے کی اجازت دی جائے۔
جسٹس جاوید اقبال نے سیکریٹری دفاع کامران رسول اور بریگیڈئر (ر) چیمہ سے سوال کیا کہ کیا خفیہ ایجنسیاں وزرات داخلہ یا وزارت دفاع کو جوابدہ ہیں اور اگر نہیں تو پھر ان کی کارروائیوں میں قانونی تقدس کو کیسے برقرار رکھا جاتا ہے۔
سیکریٹری دفاع نے کہا کہ ان کی وزارت کا خفیہ ایجنسیوں پر صرف انتظامی کنٹرول ہے ’آپریشن کمانڈ چین، ان کے پاس نہیں۔
جسٹس جاوید اقبال نے انہیں مخاطب کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ قانون نافذ کرنے والے اداروں کی موجودگی میں خفیہ ایجنسیوں کو شہریوں کو اس طرح نہیں اٹھانا چاہیے۔
کوئی یہ دعویٰ نہیں کرسکتا کہ وہ دوسرے سے زیادہ محب وطن ہے ہر شخص کو اپنے وطن سے محبت ہے یہ غلط ہے کہ صرف چند لوگ ہی محب وطن ہیں
جسٹس جاوید اقبال
”اس طرح ماورائے قانون کارروائیاں نہیں ہونی چاہئیں۔ کوئی جنگل کا قانون تو نہیں ہے، جب قانون موجود ہے تو پھر کیوں قانون کے مطابق کارروائی نہیں کی جاتی۔،،
انہوں نے کہا کہ کیا ضروری ہے کہ ملکی اور غیرملکی سطح پر اپنا امیج خراب کرایا جائے۔
ایک موقع پر چیف جسٹس نے کہا کہ ”کوئی یہ دعویٰ نہیں کرسکتا کہ وہ دوسرے سے زیادہ محب وطن ہے ہر شخص کو اپنے وطن سے محبت ہے یہ غلط ہے کہ صرف چند لوگ ہی محب وطن ہیں۔،،
عاصمہ جہانگیر نے عدالت کو بتایا کہ لاپتہ افراد میں ایک 9 سالہ بچہ بھی شامل ہے جسے تربت میں فرنٹئر کور نے اپنی حراست میں رکھا ہوا ہے اور وفاقی وزیر زبیدہ جلال نے بھی ایک اخباری بیان میں اسکی تصدیق کی تھی۔
جسٹس جاوید نے ڈپٹی اٹارنی جنرل کو حکم دیا کہ وہ اس بچے کو پیر تک رہا کرائیں اور اسکی رپورٹ پیش کریں۔
فرحت اللہ بابر نے کہا کہ عدالت حکومت سے معلوم کرے کہ خفیہ ایجنسیاں کس قانون کے تحت کام کرتی ہیں۔
جسٹس جاوید نے انہیں مخاطب کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ جب سیاسی پارٹیاں جب اقتدار میں تھیں تو انہوں نے ان ایجنسیوں کو کنٹرول میں کرنے کے لئے کوئی قانون نہیں بنایا۔ ”اگر آپ نے اچھے قانون بنالیے ہوتے اور ایجنسیز کو کنٹرول کرلیا ہوتا تو آج یہ مشکل پیش نہ آتی۔،،
ڈپٹی اٹارنی جنرل اور بریگیڈئر چیمہ نے تمام لاپتہ افراد کے بارے میں معلومات جمع کرنے کے لئے مہلت طلب کی جس پر عدالت نے آئندہ جمعہ 4 مئی تک سماعت ملتوی کردی۔
کراچی کے لاپتہ
کراچی سے چند ماہ قبل لاپتہ ہونے اور پھر ڈنمارک کے سفارتخانے پر بم حملے سمیت دہشت گردی کی دوسری وارداتوں میں پولیس کی جانب سےگرفتار بتائے جانے والے افراد پر خصوصی رپورٹ۔
آخری وقت اشاعت: Monday, 2 March, 2009, 17:47 GMT 22:47 PST
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/multimedia/2009/03/090302_karachi_missing_feb_04.shtml
میرا بھائی کہاں ہے؟
دیوِیا تلوار
بی بی سی ایشین نیٹورک
آخری وقت اشاعت: Wednesday, 7 October, 2009, 09:45 GMT 14:45 PST
ذہین خواجہ کے بھائی ڈاکٹر عابد شریف گزشتہ چار سال سے پاکستان میں لاپتہ ہیں۔
انسانی حقوق کے کارکنوں کا کہنا ہے کہ پاکستان میں ہزاروں افراد لاپتہ ہیں جن میں متعدد برطانوی شہریوں کے رشتےدار بھی ہیں۔
برطانیہ کے ویسٹ مڈلینڈ میں رہنے والی ذہین خواجہ کا کہنا ہے کہ ان کے بھائی ڈاکٹر عابد شریف گزشتہ چار سال سے پاکستان میں لاپتہ ہیں۔ان کا کہنا ہے کہ ڈاکٹر عابد کا حلیہ ایک ’باعمل مسلمان‘ کے جیسا ہے۔ ان کی لمبی داڑھی ہے اور وہ کھلے عام طالبان کی حمایت کرتے تھے۔
ذہین کا کہنا ہے کہ انہیں نہیں معلوم کہ وہ کہاں ہیں۔
ذہین خواجہ کے مطابق لاپتہ ہونے سے پہلے ان کے بھائی نے اپنی حاملہ بیوی سے کہا تھا کہ وہ اپنے ایک دوست سے ملنے پشاور جا رہے ہیں۔ڈاکٹر عابد جمعرات کو گئے تھے اور اتوار کو انہیں واپس راولپنڈی آنا تھا چار سال ہو گئے اور وہ آبھی تک واپس نہیں آئے۔
پشاور میں پولیس نے ڈاکٹر شریف کے گھر والوں کو بتایا کہ انہیں سرکاری ایجنسی والے لے گئے ہیں لیکن اب تک ان کا کوئی پتہ نہیں ہے۔
اگر ان لوگوں نے قانون کو توڑا ہے تو انہیں عدالت کے سامنے لایا جائے اور عدالت یہ فیصلہ کرے کے آیا وہ مجرم ہیں یا بےقصور
انجم طاہر خیلی
ذہین خواجہ کا کہنا ہے کہ انہیں کسی اور کے دھوکے میں پکڑا گیا ہے ’میرے خیال میں میرے بھائی کا دہشت گردی سے کوئی تعلق نہیں ہے‘۔
انہوں نے مزید کہا کہ ’یہ درست ہے کہ ان کی ہمدردیاں طالبان کے ساتھ تھیں لیکن یہ کوئی جرم نہیں ہے‘۔
انسانی حقوق کے کارکنوں کے اندازے کے مطابق سینکڑوں برطانوی کنبوں کے رشتے دار غائب ہیں۔خیال ہے کہ ان لوگوں کو سرکاری ایجنسیاں دہشت گرد سرگرمیوں میں ملوث ہونے کے شبہہ میں گرفتار کر لیتی ہیں۔
انسانی حقوق کی تنظیم برٹش ہیومن رائٹس برطانیہ میں ان خاندانوں کے لیے مہم چلاتی ہے جن کے رشتے دار پاکستان میں لاپتہ ہیں۔
تنظیم کے سربراہ انجم طاہر خیلی کا کہنا ہے کہ لوگوں کا اس طرح غائب ہونا ’ظالمانہ عمل‘ ہے۔
ان کا کہنا ہے کہ ’اگر ان لوگوں نے قانون کو توڑا ہے تو انہیں عدالت کے سامنے لایا جائے اور عدالت یہ فیصلہ کرے کے آیا وہ مجرم ہیں یا بےقصور‘۔
انجم طاہر کا کہنا ہے کہ ان لاپتہ افراد کے رشتے داروں کو معلوم ہونا چاہئے کہ کس کو پکڑا گیا ہے اور کیوں۔
ذہین خواجہ کا کہنا ہے کہ اگر ان کے بھائی قصوروار ہیں تو یہ فیصلہ عدالت کو کرنا چاہیے۔ان کا خیال ہے کہ حکومتِ پاکستان ایسے لوگوں کے رشتے داروں کے سوالوں کا جواب نہیں دے سکی اس لیے وہ امید کرتی ہیں کہ برطانیہ کی حکومت پاکستان میں انسانی حقوق کی خلاف ورزی کو روکنے میں مدد کرے۔
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2009/10/091007_missing_families_nj.shtml
یہ تصویر چودہ سالہ حمزہ کی ہے جن کے والد ڈاکٹر عابد چار سال پہلے راولپنڈی سے غائب ہوئے تھے
میرے ابو کہاں ہیں؟
ذیشان ظفر
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آباد
آخری وقت اشاعت: Wednesday, 12 August, 2009, 18:35 GMT 23:35 PST
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2009/08/090812_missing_painting_pics.shtml
Wouldn’t the meeting of CJ with a key US Figure jeopardize [or already jeopardized the case] and compromised the pending case.
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry met visiting US envoy Richard Holbrooke in the Supreme Court building on FridayBy Matiullah Jan Saturday, 06 Jun, 2009 05:29 AM PST http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/13+cj+receives+holbrooke+calls+on+zardari-za-12
کسے کسے امریکہ بھیجا گیا؟ عدلیہ نے فہرست مانگ لی
آخری وقت اشاعت: جمعرات, 21 جنوری, 2010, 10:25 GMT 15:25 PST
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2010/01/100121_missing_case_sc_zs.shtml
شہزاد ملک
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آبا
ایسا محسوس ہوتا ہے کہ خفیہ ادارے لاپتہ افراد سے متعلق جھوٹ بول رہے ہیں اور اس حوالے سے پولیس بھی ڈری ہوئی ہے
جسٹس راجہ فیاض
راولپنڈی سے لاپتہ ہونے والے مسعود جنجوعہ کی بازیابی سے متعلق اٹارنی جنرل نے ایک سرٹیفکیٹ عدالت میں پیش کیا جس میں کہا گیا ہے کہ مذکورہ شخص خفیہ ایجنسیوں کے پاس نہیں ہے۔ عدالت نے مسعود جنجوعہ کی عدم بازیابی سے متعلق مقدمے کی تفتیش مکمل نہ ہونے پر راولپنڈی پولیس کے ایس پی کامران عادل کی سرزنش کی اور کہا کہ مذکورہ شخص کی بازیابی کے لیے تمام ممکنہ وسائل بروئے کار لائے جائیں۔
yeh dagh dagh ujala yeh shab guzeeda seher
restoration of judiciary?
A thought provoking column by Hamid Mir:
http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/feb2010-daily/22-02-2010/col2.htm
Judicial commission on missing persons
In the latest hearing on the missing persons case by a Supreme Court (SC) bench, the Attorney General of Pakistan informed the court that the government had decided to set up a judicial commission to investigate the matter. This issue has haunted the government ever since the SC took up the plea of relatives of such persons, who accuse the intelligence agencies of being responsible for their loved ones’ detention. Some of the missing later emerged as far as Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. In principle, even one missing person is unacceptable. The law clearly states that people detained by law enforcement agencies must be brought before a court and charged. They cannot be spirited away to be done to as the security agencies please, which is a threat to such persons’ safety and life.
The case of missing persons has seen many twists and turns since its admittance by the SC. Despite several high profile hearings and some breakthroughs, the SC has not been able to resolve the issue. The interior ministry has admitted to 965 missing persons. There are widely differing claims by different quarters, ranging from as few as 200 to an enormous 7,000. These claims need to be verified. The list of 965, which the court has admitted, are only the ones for whom there is some record. There are many for whom there is no record or admission. It was therefore surprising to hear the court stating with reference to Balochistan, without irrefutable facts, that it will not allow anyone to gain political mileage by exaggerating the numbers. This whole issue is a grey area, as the SC has not been able to offer redress to all the cases presented before it, nor determine exactly how many people have actually disappeared, and hence the need for establishing a judicial commission. It is, therefore, advisable for the court to observe restraint from premature judgment. We should let the commission complete its work and let us hope that it succeeds in tracing all the missing persons and fills in the gaps of information and knowledge about them.
It is ironic that the court expresses dissatisfaction with the government’s progress in locating missing citizens when, in the last hearing, the bench declared that it will not investigate the role of the intelligence agencies. This knocks the bottom out of the case, because they are the ones accused of spiriting people away to secret places, which are alleged to be torture cells. The missing persons case represents a paradigm in our security apparatus’ functioning, in which the intelligence agencies consider themselves to be above the law. The intelligence agencies and their parent organisations would not even allow anyone to point a finger at them. This was exemplified by the attitude of Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Sarfraz, who threatened the counsel of Dr Afia Siddiqa for ‘defaming’ the institution of the army. This represents the mindset of the army and intelligence agencies, which take umbrage even when they would have us believe they have nothing to account for. It is not just the counsel of Dr Afia, but an array of public opinion, including the relatives of the missing and eyewitnesses, who believe that people are picked up by security agencies in broad daylight never to be heard of again. Denying witness accounts and evidence would end up in absurdity. Even if the commission is set up and the SC bench supervises it, without examining the role of the intelligence agencies that are central in this whole issue, it could all end up as an exercise in futility, with the culture of impunity enjoyed by the intelligence agencies intact, alive and kicking.
http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\03\20\story_20-3-2010_pg3_1
“QUOTE”
Missing Persons: NO Relief From The Courts Published March 21, 2010
http://fkpolitics.wordpress.com/2010/03/21/missing-persons-no-relief-from-the-courts/
While Dawn asks us to feel “relief” over the issue, the courts have once again failed miserably at bringing relief. All the big talk by Justice Javed Iqbal appears to be a tempest in a teapot. A decision was promised on end of March but now we we have talk of a “Judicial Commission” being set up by the very Government behind people going missing. And what the Honorable Judge has said of late is not very comforting:
Justice Javed Iqbal said “We will not take any illegitimate action against the lawlessness of the secret agencies but a solid action to recover the missing persons.” Justice Javed Iqbal observed that being supreme, no one can hold the Parliament accountable.
I find these remarks extremely insulting, Continue reading ‘Missing Persons: NO Relief From The Courts’
“UNQUOTE”
Missing person’s case takes dramatic turn Police want Army generals to be probed Thursday, April 08, 2010 By Umar Cheema http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=233211
ISLAMABAD: A high profile missing person’s case has taken a dramatic turn as the police are examining a sitting corps commander and two recently retired ISI officials whereas a former DG ISI, now a corps commander, is likely to be examined following a guarded disclosure by former attorney general Malik Qayyum. Lt. Gen. Shafqaatullah, Corps Commander Multan, and two retired ISI officials, Brig. Mansoor Saeed and Col. Jehangir Akhtar, have submitted their statements to the Supreme Court through the police as they were allegedly in knowledge of where Masood Janjua had been kept.
Masood Janjua was picked up along with a friend in July 2005 in Rawalpindi and has been missing since then. Amina, his wife, has waged a movement for the last five years, demanding the release of her husband and others. There are more than 3,500 persons reportedly missing of which 250 cases have been taken up by the Supreme Court.
The police have told the Supreme Court they need to further probe these officials as their statements do not answer all the questions required for a thorough probe, a fact confirmed by Kamran Aadil, Superintendent Police, who is in-charge of the investigation.
Kamran Aadil told The News the police would send more questions to the concerned officials through the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Branch of the Pakistan Army. He appreciated the role of JAG Branch, which is fully cooperating with them.
When asked about the statements he had obtained, Kamran said they had been submitted to the court and he would not comment about them.
Another corps commander who previously headed the ISI is expected to be next to be examined as he is said to have told Malik Qayyum, the then attorney general, that Masood Janjua had been killed. His examination is required to determine how he knew and who killed Masood Janjua. Lt. Gen. Shafqaat and two ISI officials are being examined on the request of Amina Masood after she told the court that she had approached these officers and they had dropped hints about the whereabouts of her husband. Shafqaat was military secretary to the then President Pervez Musharraf. He is said to have informed Amina that they had learned through their informers that her husband was seen somewhere in Waziristan and was alive. But he had declined to share his source.
Now as the police have obtained Shafqaat’s statement, he backtracked from what he reportedly told Amina. His statement on a plain paper submitted to the court with his signature on it has been seen by The News. It said that his efforts to locate Janjua, “initiated on the president’s directions, failed to trace the man.”
Masood’s father, a retired colonel of SSG, was senior to Musharraf and had asked him for help. Since Amina Janjua had also contacted him, Shafqaat wrote in his statement: “I politely informed her that all requested details have already been communicated to her father-in-law and that I had nothing else to add.”
Amina, talking to The News, contested the contents of Shafqaat’s statement, insisting that he had then said “their informers had seen him (Masood Janjua) alive somewhere in Waziristan.” She also demanded the corps commander be summoned before the court for cross-examination.
Col. Jahangir of ISI had frequently met Amina, visited her house many times and kept her waiting that “she would soon hear a good news about her husband” but the statement he has submitted to the court said: “It’s incorrect that she used to hold series of meetings with the undersigned and that I would inform her about the whereabouts of her husband.”
Brigadier Mansoor Saeed, ex-Director ISI, Islamabad, said in his statement: “I have never seen, met or interacted with any person named Mr. Masood Janjua nor have any knowledge of his whereabouts.”
Mansoor was accused by Dr. Imran Munir that he had seen Janjua kept in an ISI safe-house located in Westridge, Rawalpindi. Imran, who himself remained in the ISI’s custody, had submitted a sworn affidavit before the Supreme Court.
Malik Qayyum had told Hamid Mir of Geo TV that a powerful head of a powerful organisation had confirmed to him that Janjua had been killed.
As the police obtained a statement from Hamid Mir, he confirmed being told by Qayyum but said they should better ask him (Qayyum) about the powerful head. As the police approached Qayyum, he did not deny it and said that since it was a privileged secret passed on to him being the AG, he would disclose the name of the ‘powerful head’ only before the court.
judiciary has tried its best to pass this issue to the federal government in order to avoid angering agencies.. justice javed iqbal even made the statement that ‘parliament is supreme’ when amina janjua objected to the federal comission and wanted SC to handle case by itself. these shameless judges don’t acknowledge parliament as supreme in any other situation except when they want to pass the buck on a controversial issue