ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday dismissed a petition regarding a missing person after it was revealed that the individual had been in police custody and later released on bail.
Justice Inaam Amin Minhas heard the case filed by a citizen named Sharafat, who had approached the court seeking help in tracing his brother, Muhammad Ashraf, who had reportedly gone missing.
During Wednesday’s hearing, police submitted a detailed report stating that Muhammad Ashraf was not missing, but had actually been arrested in connection with a robbery case registered at the Secretariat Police Station. According to the report, Ashraf was taken into custody and sent to jail on May 23 by a trial court.
The report further noted that Ashraf was later granted bail and subsequently released, confirming that his whereabouts were known and that there was no ongoing disappearance.
In light of the findings, the court dismissed the petition, stating that there was no cause for further proceedings since the individual had been located.
Meanwhile, in a separate case, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) is continuing to hear a sensitive matter involving the disappearance of five individuals from the Hayatabad area. The PHC Chief Justice had earlier constituted a full bench to hear the case after a petition claimed that police had taken five relatives of the petitioner from their home, and their whereabouts remain unknown.
The two cases highlight the growing judicial attention on enforced disappearances and the need for accountability and transparency in such matters — even as some incidents turn out to be more complex than initially reported.
