Humayun Khan
PESHAWAR: The Acting Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court (PHC) Justice SM Attique ordered police, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and the provincial government seeking a response by 7th April against enforced disappereance of the two brothers from their office at Gulbahar, Peshawar by police, on Friday.
The counsel for the petitioner informed the court that the two brothers had been missing for the past two months, and despite efforts, their whereabouts remain unknown. He added that the brothers were involved in a property business and were taken away from their office in the presence of police.
However, the authorities have not provided any information about their location or the reason for their detention. Acting Chief Justice S M Atique Shah inquired about the nature of the brothers’ work and the location from where they went missing.
The counsel replied that they were involved in a property business and were taken away from their office. The counsel further stated that the brothers were taken away in the presence of police, and their whereabouts remain unknown.
PHC has sought responses from the provincial government, Ministry of Interior, relevant SHOs, and CTD authorities. The court has directed the respondents to submit their responses by April 7, seeking information about the disappearance of the two brothers and the actions taken by the authorities to recover them.
Lawyers approached Court against ban on freedom of movement: A writ petition has been filed in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) against the ban imposed by the Cantonment Board administration on lawyers’ vehicles entering without stickers. The petition, filed by Amin ur Rahman Yousafzai Advocate through Muhammad Rafiq Advocate requests the court to declare the ban illegal and unconstitutional.
The petition names the Ministry of Defense, Secretary Defense, Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Cantonment Executive Officer Peshawar, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council as respondents. The petition argues that the ban imposed by the Cantonment Board Peshawar administration is illegal and unconstitutional, as it restricts lawyers from entering the cantonment to pursue cases.
Currently, multiple courts are functioning within the Peshawar Cantonment, and lawyers need to enter the area to attend to their cases, the writ stated. The petition claims that this ban will affect the dispensation of justice and is a violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution.
The petition further states that lawyers have always upheld the law and the constitution, and this ban is against the laws and the fundamental freedom of movement guaranteed by the constitution. According to the petition, there are thousands of lawyers registered with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council, including over 6,000 lawyers registered with the Peshawar High Court alone.
These lawyers regularly visit the cantonment to pursue cases, and this ban will cause them undue hardship and restrict their ability to perform their professional duties.
