PM Shehbaz will be summoned if brother of Shahzad Akbar not recovered, warns IHC

The court had directed the capital police on May 31 to produce Murad within two days

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has warned that it will summon Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif if the brother of Shahzad Akbar, former aide to the PTI chief, was not produced before it.

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani issued the warning on Friday while hearing a petition seeking the recovery of Murad Akbar who was reportedly whisked away by the officials of law enforcement agencies.

The court had directed the capital police on May 31 to produce Murad within two days.

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

The case was registered under section 365 on the complaint of 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 Shehzad Bukhari and Islamabad Advocate General Jahangir Jadoon, appeared before the court.

Justice Kayani asked the DIG whether the people who arrested Murad were members of paramilitary Rangers or the Counter Terrorism Department.

DIG 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 identity the personnel.

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

Justice Kayani 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 said that he would issue a show-cause notice to the DG Rangers during the next hearing.

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

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

He 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.

He said that his directives aimed at safeguarding the interests of individuals in “genuine uniforms”.

Addressing the authorities, Justice Kayani remarked, “If you cannot work effectively, then you should step down.”

The hearing was adjourned until Monday.

According to the FIR, approximately 30 people in Islamabad police and Rangers uniforms, officers from the Anti-Terrorism Squad and some people in civvies barged into Murad’s house at around 1:10am on May 28. They broke the door open, and took away Murad.