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ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday ordered Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to produce missing persons before the court in the next 9 weeks or appear in person on September 9 at 10:30am before Chief Justice Athar Minallah’s court.
During the hearing, the chief justice said the prime minister should make sure that missing persons are produced before the court within the required time period.
The prime minister is bound to appraise the court about the action taken against the people responsible for the missing persons’ case, the court added.
The order said that it is imperative for PM Shehbaz to provide clarification regarding why the state is unable to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities.
The court added that the attorney general has also been given one last chance to complete his arguments in the case.
A single-bench consisting Chief Justice Athar Minallah was hearing the case pertaining to missing persons.
It is pertinent to mention the disappearances are growing, according to international and Pakistani human rights organizations, which estimate that thousands of people have been kidnapped and detained incommunicado in secret prisons in the past decade. Some have been killed, they say. Exact numbers are unknown, in part because many people are afraid to report the abductions, according to Human Rights Watch.