Pak SC gives ISI-MI Feb 13 'ultimatum' to produce missing persons held in illegal custody

Islamabad, Feb 11 (ANI): Pakistan's Supreme Court has granted more time to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Military Intelligence (MI), asking them to produce seven prisoners, who went missing from Adiala Jail, before the court on February 13 and file a compliance report with the Registrar's Office. Our order has not been complied with. The missing prisoners are in custody of the intelligence agencies," The Express Tribune quoted Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, as saying.

Four of the 11 men kidnapped from the high security Adiala jail in Rawalpindi in May 2010 were found dead in recent months, and the families of the rest are petitioning the court for their return. Although apparently terrorist suspects, they have not been charged with any crime.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court had ordered the ISI to produce all the missing persons by 7pm or face the consequences.

The SC, in its last order, had categorically told the ISI's counsel Raja Irshad to produce all those 'missing people' who were arrested and have been kept under illegal detention.

Irshad responded to the court by saying that he was unable to escort the detained people as some of them are not in good health.

Chaudhury, however, demanded that they (the patients) brought "in helicopters, if they cannot be brought in cars."

He added that if the prime minister of Pakistan could be summoned to the court for not complying with orders, it does not leave room for anyone else to not obey court orders.

The Supreme Court reiterated that the law has all the power to summon anyone to appear before the court as no one in Pakistan is considered above the law. (ANI)