Bugti assures IHC of recovery of missing Baloch students

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Wednesday appeared before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a case related to missing Baloch students, ARY News reported.

On the last hearing, the IHC summoned caretaker PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar and Sarfraz Bugti in the missing Baloch students case.

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani presided over the hearing, where Attorney General Mansoor Awan told the court that caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar could not appear on account of being outside the country for an official visit.

The attorney general told the court that a total of 69 Baloch students had been missing of whom 22 more had been recovered since the last hearing.

He said that 28 students are still missing and the government will try to recover all of them.

Awan also said that a cabinet committee has been set up where the commission on missing person reports will be submitted. Justice Kiyani remarked this is a matter of basic human rights.

All missing persons are Pakistani residents, whose blame is being put on the government institutions, the IHC Justice remarked and added the administration formally takes action under section 365 on the cases of missing Balochs.

When the missing Baloch students will be recovered, Justice Kiyani asked Bugti.”If we go missing, only then will we discover what really happened,” the judge remarked.

Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti in his reply to the court said there is no justification if a single people remain missing.

Bugti claimed few people named on the missing persons list fled Afghanistan and the commission is reviewing the matter. He assured that the government will ensure the recovery of missing Baloch students.

The Islamabad High Court directed the authorities concerned to meet with the families of the missing persons.

Later the hearing was adjourned until January 10.