SC larger bench to hear issue

ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court (SC) would constitute a larger bench to deliberate the matter of missing persons and take up pleas regularly, which had been left in halfway of October 2007, remarked Justice Javed Iqbal here on Wednesday.
A three-member SC bench, headed by Justice Javed Iqbal, heard the cases of two missing persons, Mustafa Azam and Sher Khan Mengal. Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed and Justice Mohammad Sair Ali were other members of the bench.
“We have requested Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to constitute a larger bench to register cases of missing persons and address miseries of their kith and kin,” Justice Javed explained.
Amina Masood Janjua, Chairperson Defence of Human Rights Pakistan, requested the apex court to take up the main petition of 416 missing persons seeking justice since 1999.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, the SC directed IGP Sindh to ask police investigation team to trace abducted Mustafa Azam, who is said to be in custody of law enforcement agencies. The court also directed IGP NWFP to cooperate with the team head by DIG Nabi Memon to find out the said person.
The court also issued notice to DSP Qammar Zaidi for not appearing before the SC on Wednesday.
Justice Javed expressed his grievance over performance of Sindh police when Azam, father of Mustafa Azam, informed the court that police despite passing of three year could not register FIR on his application.
The petitioner had requested former president Pervez Musharraf, former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, ex-interior minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao, Chief Justice of Pakistan, former Sindh chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim and Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad Khan to provide him justice.