Islamabad High Court (IHC) senior puisne judge Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani on Monday said that the intelligence agencies should shed the perception of their involvement in forced abductions.
The IHC judge was hearing a petition seeking the recovery of Kashmiri poet Ahmed Farhad Shah.
Shah was allegedly abducted from his home last week. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan had called on the authorities for his immediate release.
A petition was filed by Shah’s wife in the IHC last Wednesday, requesting that he be found and produced before the court and to identify, investigate and prosecute those responsible for his disappearance. Justice Kayani had conducted the first hearing on the matter and ordered Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jameel Zafar to retrieve Shah at any cost, warning that he would otherwise summon the defence secretary. The judge had issued a notice to the defence secretary in the next hearing.
Advocates Imaan Zainab Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha were present in court on Monday to represent Shah’s wife.
Mazari said that Shah had been missing since last week.
She said that they had received a WhatsApp call from Shah’s number on May 17 asking them to withdraw their request.