Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed serious concern at the human rights situation in the country, saying a "Gestapo-like reign of terror" was existing.
Hearing several petitions on "missing persons" or people who were detained without charges by intelligence and security agencies over the years and remain untraced, the apex court directed the chief of the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary to appear before it next week for the hearing of the case of a youth who was detained without charges.
A three-judge bench wondered what kind of democracy exists here when there is no respect for human rights.
"No institution in the country is functioning as it is supposed to do. If the Supreme Court tries to set the fault right, a lot of hue and cry is created," remarked Justice Javed Iqbal, a member of the bench.
Justice Iqbal also observed that "there is always a mention of brigadiers and majors" in the cases of the "missing persons" and asked "who has given them power" to detain people without charges.
Justice Raja Fayyaz, another member of the bench, remarked there appeared to be a "Gestapo-like reign of terror", referring to the dreaded secret state police of Nazi Germany. He said: "Anyone can come into a house, where is the
enforcement of law? We have to draw a line."
The apex court directed the Inspector General of the Frontier Constabulary, Major General Tariq Khan, and a major to appear before it on January 13 in connection with the case of a youth named Mustafa Azam, a student of Cambridge who was arrested in Peshawar after a bomb attack on October 24 and subsequently released after he was found to be innocent.
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