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‘Can anyone disappear without the govt’s will?’ IHC questions state of enforced disappearances

News Desk

Apr 01

During a case hearing of missing Lahore journalist, Mudassar Naro at Islamabad High Court (IHC), Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah said that enforced disappearances are ‘treason’.

He said that such disappearances are not acceptable in a country that follows the Constitution. In the hearing, the additional attorney-general and judicial assistant appeared before the court.

“Can anyone be disappeared without federal and provincial governments will? No,” the judge said. The judge then said that sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act are applied in such cases.

The CJ asked if the inability to recover Naro is the failure of state agencies. He added that both governments should have looked into this matter.

According to Geo News, Mudassar Naro has been missing since August 20, 2018. The disappearance occurred when he went to the northern areas with his wife and child. His wife and child returned but Naro has been missing ever since.

His activist wife Saddaf Chughtai passed away last year due to a sudden cardiac arrest, leaving behind their four-year-old son.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has shown serious concern over the situation. They have also called upon Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari to look into the case. However, after almost four years since his disappearance, his recovery hasn’t been made yet.


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