ISLAMABAD-- The Supreme Court Tuesday directed the Balochistan government to submit DNA and inquiry commission reports on March 7, 2014, regarding the recovery of bodies from a mass grave in Khuzdar.
The three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani and comprising Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, was hearing a suo motu case on the mass grave in Balochistan.
Balochistan Home Secretary Asad Jillani and DC Khuzdar Syed Abdul Hameed Shah, appearing before the bench, confirmed the newspapers report was partly correct. The DC said a shepherd came to his office on 17th January and informed him that he had seen some vultures and crows hovering over some far-flung areas of Mazzi, Tootak. “On reaching the spot, he found some dead bodies under the heap of stones and mud,” the shepherd said. The DC said the shepherd requested him to visit the place as more bodies could also be found there. Hameed Shah said that he along with Frontier Constabulary Commandant Colonel Tanveer Ahmed Khan visited the place and also took machinery for digging. When they dug up the site, 11 more bodies were recovered from there, the DC added.
Later, they contacted the families of missing persons to recognise the bodies and sent the samples for DNA test. “Two dead bodies – one of Qadir Bakash son of Miskan, and the other of Naseer Ahmed son of Bayan, both residents of Peer Andar, district Awaran, were identified,” he said and added the dead bodies were handed over to the legal heirs after completing formalities. The other bodies are in Civil Hospital, Khuzdar, and open to everyone for identification, the DC maintained.
The home secretary said they had constituted a one-man inquiry commission under Balochistan High Court Judge Noor Muhammad Muskanzai in accordance with Balochistan Tribunals of Inquiry Act 1969. The commission would complete its inquiry within one month, he added. The DC said the district administration and people would fully cooperate with the commission.
The court adjourned the hearing till March 7 with the direction to submit the DNA and the commission reports.
Widow’s gangrape: SC dismisses DPO’s report, summons IGP
Dismissing the report of the Muzaffargarh DPO, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the IGP Punjab to submit a detailed report about the gang rape of a widow.
A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, hearing a suo motu case regarding the gang rape of a widow in Muzaffargarh district, expressed annoyance over non-appearance of the IGP Punjab and ordered that in the next hearing he must appear before the court with the detail report of the sad incident.
According to the reports, a 40-year-old widow was gang-raped by five men of her village on January 24 on the orders of a panchayat in Mauza Rakh Tibba Sharqi area of Muzaffargarh district. The alleged rape was ordered by the 40-member panchayat as punishment for the alleged illicit relations of the victim’s brother with a woman.
The chief justice remarked it seemed the police had no interest in this case. The Muzaffargarh DPO had submitted the report on the widow’s gang-rape along with the IG Punjab’s report.
Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed said the police were not taking the matter seriously. Justice Khilji Arif Hussain said the IGP himself should have submitted his report.
An additional advocate general informed the court that nine out of 10 accused nominated in the FIR had been arrested, while one had obtained bail before arrest. The court, directing the IGP to submit a detailed report within 10 days, adjourned the hearing till February 17.
Online adds: A local court on Tuesday sent Muhammad Yasin, the main accused of the gang-rape, on 14 days’ judicial remand.
Muhammad Yasin was produced before the court of Magistrate Rana Akhtar where the accused pleaded not guilty. The magistrate ordered the police to send him to jail on 14-day judicial remand.
Muhammad Yasim is an elder of a punchayat (local court) that allegedly ordered gang rape of a 40 year old widow on January 24.
Meanwhile, the same bench, hearing a case of recovery of Attiqur Rehman, said the court was not interested in the police reports, but wanted recovery of missing persons.
Additional Attorney General Tariq Khokkar, filing his report, confirmed that in the light of the initial report, the case of Attiq-ur-Rehman was of enforced disappearance. The ISI and MI had denied the custody of Attiq, he said.
The AAG said they had raised the issue with the Ministry of Defence after which a joint investigation team (JIT) was constituted, adding the ISI and MI were part of that team. He sought time, saying he would present the JIT report on the next hearing. The court adjourned the hearing for two weeks.