PESHAWAR - The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday directed Ministry of Defense, Interior, Army and secret agencies to shift the detainees to internment centres within three weeks, if there is evidence against them.
During the hearing of about 90 missing persons cases, a division bench headed by PHC Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth was told by Secretary Home Azam Khan that the under aid and civil power regulation, arrested persons were shifted to internment centres within 24 hours, and on daily basis about 16 persons were shifted to internment centres.
The Chief Justice on this occasion said that this procedure was not fully followed as two applications against the civil power regulation have been submitted with them, while the oversight board was not paying visit. Azam Khan said that the federal government was not providing funds for looking after and restoration of these internment centres and that was why the funds of provincial prisons department were being used for the purpose.
Besides others, IGP KP Akbar Khan Hoti, CCPO Imtiaz Altaf, Federal Additional Secretary Defense Maj. General Raja Arif Nazir, Federal Additional Secretary Interior Arif Akram, GHQ’s Brigadier Naubahar, Additional Chief Secretary FATA, representative of IG FC, Deputy Attorney General Iqbal Khan Mohmand Advocate and Advocate KP Asadullah Chamkani appeared before the court.
The court said that innocent detainees be released within two weeks and those who are wanted should be shifted to the internment centres within three weeks and after that such detention would be declared illegal. The court inquired of high-ups of KP Police that they had the information that police have established private detention cells, where people were imprisoned illegally. This is the last warning to close all such cells immediately. The CCPO assured the court that they would not receive any such complaint regarding the existence of private detention centre in KP. The court asked police high-ups to close these centers within two weeks otherwise it would arrange surparise visits and if any private detention centre was found then a strict action would be taken against the concerned DPO of the district.
The bench told that shift the detainees to internment centres within three weeks, if there are evidence against them, their detention would be declared unlawful and unconstitutional after the expiry of three weeks time. The court asked for ensuring medical facilities to the detainees at these centers. Besides, a report about them should also be presented to the court after each 20 days.
The hearing was adjourned till June 26.