Nineteen paramilitary personnel who allegedly detained 35 people without charge were today directed by Pakistan's Supreme Court to appear before police for interrogation.
A four-judge bench led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, which is hearing the cases of "missing persons" at the Karachi registry of the apex court, directed the personnel to present themselves before police in Balochistan tomorrow.
The court directed authorities to ensure the presence of all nominated personnel before the DIG of the Special Branch, Balochistan, for interrogation.
The bench expressed its annoyance at the absence of the Inspector General of Frontier Corps in Balochistan, who had been ordered to appear during today's hearing.
Attorney General Munir Malik said the official did not appear because he could not be informed about the court's order.
But the Chief Justice remarked that the official had been deliberately avoiding proceedings because there was credible evidence to establish that Frontier Corps personnel were involved in enforced disappearances.
"Don't try to hush up the matter. Those involved will have to be produced for investigation into the matter," he snapped when Malik said the officers named in the case had been repatriated to the army.
The court observed that despite repeated orders, Frontier Corps officials had not appeared before it.
The Chief Justice said a judicial inquiry into the case of a "missing person" concluded that Frontier Corps personnel had picked him up.
The court directed the Sindh Police chief to provide security to relatives of "missing persons" who had recently marched from Quetta to Karachi to highlight the issue.
The hearing was subsequently adjourned to December 3.
The apex court is currently hearing the cases of dozens of persons who have been detained without charge in Balochistan by security and intelligence agencies.
