Islamabad High Court orders Defence Ministry to provide report on missing PoJK citizen

Islamabad [Pakistan], June 22 (ANI): The Islamabad High Court instructed the defence ministry to provide a report signed by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI) sector commanders regarding the case of Khawaja Khurshid, a missing resident from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Taking to social media platform X, Professor Sajjad Raja, former Chairman of the National Equality Party Jammu Kashmir Gilgit Baltistan and Ladakh (NEP JKGBL) stated, “Islamabad High Court has ordered ISI and MI to produce Khawaja Khurshid who was abducted from Neelum.”

“This is the second high-profile case since May 14 when PoJK poet Ahmed Farhad was abducted by Pakistani agencies. People of Pakistani-occupied Jammu and Kashmir should now simply ask the Pakistan Army to quit PoJK as directed by the UN Resolutions. That’s the only way forward to stop Human Rights Violations in PoJK,” Sajjad Raja added.

Khurshid, a resident of Neelum Valley in PoJK, disappeared on June 7. According to reports, he traveled from Rawalpindi to Islamabad but did not come back home as expected.

Enforced disappearances are a serious concern in PoJK, Balochistan, and other parts where individuals are allegedly abducted or detained by state actors or groups associated with them, often without legal process or disclosure of their whereabouts.

These incidents typically involve security forces or intelligence agencies.

Recently, the 38-year-old poet Ahmed Farhad who belongs to the Bagh district of PoJK was reportedly abducted in May.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) was later informed that Farhad was in the custody of Dhirkot police in PoJK and subsequently, Farhad was recovered 15 days after disappearing.

Farhad is well-known for openly criticizing both the influential establishment and military of Pakistan. The issue of enforced disappearances in PoJK has received attention from international human rights organizations and bodies, which have called for investigations and accountability for those responsible. These organizations document cases and provide support to affected families.

There is often a lack of transparency in the legal and judicial processes related to missing persons cases, leading to frustration and distrust among affected families and communities.