ISLAMABAD  -  The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will tomorrow resume hearing in a petition seeking re­covery of missing Baloch stu­dents. A single bench of IHC com­prising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani will conduct hearing of the petition moved by Advocate Imaan Mazari seeking recovery of missing Baloch students.

After the last hearing, the IHC bench wrote in its writ­ten order that the Additional Attorney General contend­ed that “the summary has al­ready been submitted to the competent authority for further processing of case before the federal government to take pol­icy decision in the case of miss­ing students of Balochistan and this procedure may take time of one month, approximately.”

Justice Kayani noted, “In view of above, it is expected from the federal government to pass a speaking order while considering the ground reali­ties including reports submit­ted by different law enforce­ment agencies as well as report of the Commission constituted under the Islamabad High Court order dated 03.10.2022.” During the hearing, the feder­al government requested the court to grant time for sub­mitting the implementation report regarding the recom­mendations of the Baloch En­forced Disappearance Inquiry Commission. Accepting the request, the IHC bench also di­rected the federal government to review the report on the forcibly disappeared Baloch students and issue a written order concerning the commis­sion’s recommendations or the court will take action.

The Additional Attorney Gen­eral (AAG), in response, stated that the federal government is indeed interested in the mat­ter, and there are multiple stakeholders involved in it. At this, Justice Kayani reiterated that this case involved violation of human rights and is a sensi­tive matter. He emphasized that the federal government has a responsibility to address the issue of missing students from Balochistan, while the courts are responsible for rendering decisions. He maintained that it is ultimately the federal gov­ernment’s role as the execu­tive has to take action.

The judge also men­tioned that the families of the missing persons are still searching for their loved ones. He referred to a previous de­tailed order issued by Justice Athar Minullah on this matter and reiterated that the state has an obligation to protect its citizens. The bench urged the federal government to take ap­propriate action and produce the necessary documents and records for the court’s review. 

Mazari, on the other hand, inquired the government rep­resentatives about the actions taken against those who had been visiting educational in­stitutions. Then, the judge stated that the court would aid in resolving the issue and directed the federal govern­ment to provide a report and submit it in court for review. Later, he deferred the hear­ing of the case till November 14 for further proceedings.