Case registered against former Corps Commander, ISI officials on SC directives

The Baloch Hal News

QUETTA: An extraordinary case was registered on Wednesday in Quetta’s Sariab Police Station against former Balochistan Corps Commander General ® Abdul Qadir Baloch, two high-level officials of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) on the instructions of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in connection to the enforced disappearance of one resident of Quetta, Ali Asghar Bangulzai.

The children of Bangulzai, a tailor master, registered the first investigation report (FIR) 21/2010 at the Sariab Police Station against former Balochistan Corps Commander Abdul Qadir Baloch, former Quetta station chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Brigadier Siddiq and another senior ISI official identified with his last name as Colonel Bangash.

Ghulam Farooq, a son of the missing Baloch citizen, told the Baloch Hal that his 38-year-old father had been whisked away allegedly by the intelligence agencies for the first time on June 1, 2000 along with a friend, Mohammad Iqbal, but released within 22 days. However, he had been taken away on October 18, 2001 for the second time. The family members have not heard about his whereabouts ever since despite repeated requests made to the higher courts and the human rights groups.

He said he had along with his eight siblings carried out the longest hunger strike ever staged by children in the history of Pakistan that lasted 331 days in 2006 for the release of his father.

“No police station has been willing to register a case against the sensitive intelligence agencies whom we hold responsible for the enforced disappearance of my father,” he said, “We are deeply delighted to have finally managed to register the case against the responsible officials by virtue of the independent judiciary’s interest in the case.”

He said three former army officials had been pointed out in the case because they had admitted with the family that Ali was in their custody and would be released soon. However, they backtracked from their statements in the subsequent days.

A Supreme Court bench, headed by Mr. Justice Javid Iqbal, had ordered the registration of a case against the personnel of the intelligence agencies and the military in case they were responsible for the missing persons’ cases. The Supreme Court is hearing the case of the missing persons again today (Thursday).

Bangulzai’s family told the Baloch Hal that he had bee first picked up by the secret agencies on June 1, 2000 but released within 22 days. He was picked up again, along with a friend, Mohammad Iqbal and since then, no one knows what became of him. His family says personnel from an intelligence agency came to their house and assured that Ali was safe and sound in their custody. While Ali’s companion, Iqbal, was released, Ali went missing for good.

“We met with the head of the intelligence agency in the presence of MMA leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed. The official confirmed that Ali was in their custody and would be released soon,” Nasrullah, Ali Asghar’s nephew and the chairman of an organization called Voice for Missing Persons (VMP), told the Baloch Hal, adding that later the official of the same agency backtracked from his promise and denied that Ali was in their custody.

Nasrullah said the family of Ali Asghar was very thankful to the country’s ‘independent judiciary’ for taking notice of the case of a man who has been missing for the last eight years. “We are hopeful that action would be taken against people who caused the disappearance of my uncle,” he said, “It is the first time in eight years that a case has been registered against the people responsible for the disappearance of Bangulzai. We hope that the Supreme Court of Pakistan will ensure the return of all the missing persons to their families,” he remarked.

General Abdul Qadir Baloch, who has also been nominated in the case, is a former governor of Balochistan and a member of the current National Assembly. He had recently joined the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Nawaz).