IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani warns of summoning PM Shehbaz if court orders for recovery of Shahzad Akbar’s brother flouted

ISLAMABAD, June 02 (SABAH): Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) warned on Friday that if the court’s order to recover Mirza Murad Akbar, brother of former PM Imran Khan’s aide Barrister Mirza Shahzad Akbar, was not complied with, Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif would be summoned to court. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani remarked that if the person will not come on next hearing of the case then Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan will be summoned and if the person again will not come then Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be summoned.

The judge issued the remarks while hearing a petition seeking the recovery of Mirza Murad Akbar, who his family claims was picked up by law-enforcement personnel.

In the last hearing on May 31, the court had directed the capital police to produce the missing man within the next two days.

According to a first-information report (FIR) registered with Shalimar police station, Murad was “abducted” by people purportedly from different law-enforcement agencies from his Islamabad residence on May 28.

The case was registered under section 365 in response to a complaint lodged by Danyal Akbar, Murad’s son, who subsequently filed a plea with the IHC for the recovery of his father.

Several officials including Islamabad Police DIG Operations Dr. Shehzad Nadeem Bukhari and Advocate General Islamabad Barrister Jahangir Khan Jadoon appeared before the court on Friday.

At the beginning of the hearing, Justice Kayani inquired from the police officer whether the individuals who detained Murad were members of paramilitary Rangers or the Counter Terrorism Department.

Bukhari clarified that the personnel involved in the raid on the petitioner’s residence did not belong to either of the forces, requesting some time to review the CCTV footage in order to determine the identity of the personnel.

The court expressed its disappointment, deeming it disgraceful that numerous individuals in Rangers and police uniforms forcefully entered a residence and apprehended a man, with authorities appearing “unconcerned about the matter”.

The judge criticised the expenditure of millions of rupees on a “safe city project”, highlighting that videos of private individuals were being recorded and shared, while criminals remained free to roam.

The court ordered a representative from the Ministry of Defence to ensure that the Director General (DG) Rangers appears in person, saying that this action “will have an effect”.

Justice Kayani went on to say that he would issue a show-cause notice to the DG Rangers in the next hearing.

The assistant attorney general informed the court that Rangers had not received any prior instructions regarding the case.

In response, the judge said he would issue an order that would ensure everyone understood the gravity of the situation.

He also remarked that the DG Rangers should have been aware if someone else had been using the uniform of his force.

“Individuals dressed in Rangers and police uniforms are arbitrarily detaining people, while no action is being taken to address the matter,” Justice Kayani said.

He said representatives from the various law-enforcement agencies should present their respective FIRs in the case.

The judge clarified that his directives aimed to safeguard the interests of individuals in “genuine uniforms”.

Addressing the authorities, Justice Kayani remarked, “If you cannot work effectively, then you should step down.” Subsequently, the hearing was adjourned until Monday.