ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday ordered the federal government to compensate the family of missing journalist and blogger Mudasir Naro, stating that the prime minister and cabinet are accountable for missing people’ recovery.
The court sought an opinion from Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari, one of the case’s respondents, on whether the victim’s family should be compensated from the country’s then-chief executive’s wallet.
Secretary of State for Interior Naseem Khokhar, the concerned family’s lawyer Usman Warraich, Additional Attorney General Qasim Wadood, and Deputy Attorney General Syed Tayyab Shah all stood before the bench.
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah informed Mazari at the start of the session that the court had summoned her due to the gravity of the matter.
The judge commented, “The state is like a mother, yet she is nowhere to be seen.
Kidnapping someone at the state’s request is a very serious offence, according to Justice Minallah.
Non-state actors are also involved in enforced disappearances, according to the court. “Someone will have to be held accountable,” it went on to say.
“Half of our lives were spent with non-democratic governments in power,” the court added.
Mazari informed the court that as part of the PTI agenda, the government has implemented legislation to prohibit such practices.
She said the topic would be sent to the upper house soon and that Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken a firm stance on the issue.
The top justice inquired what the state’s reaction was if a relative of a public official went missing.
The court noted that the missing citizen’s wife had died.
The top justice stated that the federal government had control over all law enforcement agencies and that it was not a matter of summaries or reports.
The court told the minister that it was the government’s responsibility to care for the children and satisfy the other members of the missing person’s family.
Mazari was ordered by the chief justice to take the worried family to the cabinet and the prime minister.
“First and foremost, we want to complete the process of payment of compensation,” she added, adding that the prime minister would listen to the family.
Her administration acknowledges that enforced disappearances are a severe crime, she noted.
The prime minister and the cabinet bear responsibility for missing persons, according to the court. It was suggested that instead of the state, the prime minister and cabinet members be requested to pay the compensation due so that the situation may be finally resolved.
If someone went missing in 2002, Justice Minallah believes the top executive of the time should be held accountable, and that they should be compelled to pay compensation.
Former governments, according to Mazari, had taken no action to prohibit such practices, but the current government was taking steps to prevent enforced disappearances.
The additional attorney general asked for a week’s respite from the court.
At the next session, Mazari was requested to respond on the topic of compensation.
The court then postponed the case’s hearing until December 13.
