June 14, 2024
By Bilal Baseer
ISLAMABAD:
On Friday, June 14, a hearing was held in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) regarding the request for the recovery of Kashmiri political leader Khawaja Khurshid. Senior puisne judge Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani issued notices to the secretary of defense and the secretary of interior concerning Khurshid, who has been missing from Rawalpindi since June 7, 2024.
Petitioner Khaliqa Khawaja informed Voicepk that her father was the sole breadwinner of their household – “Our house has been in mourning since the day he was picked up,” she said.
Representing Khurshid, lawyer Muhammad Abrar Khawaja stated that he has been trying to locate Khurshid for the past week – “So far, local police and FIA have confirmed that he is not in their custody. No one has been accused of picking him up yet.”
Leader of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation League and senior lawyer, Niaz Ahmad Rathore, said that every citizen of Kashmir is “loyal to Pakistan.” He remarked, “In such a situation, forced disappearances of innocent citizens are beyond comprehension.”
Lawyer Abrar Khawaja expressed satisfaction with the court proceedings and hoped for Khurshid’s swift recovery.
Human rights activists have demanded that the state refrain from incidents like forced disappearances of innocent citizens and ensure the speedy recovery of Azad Kashmir citizen Khawaja Khurshid, who went missing from Islamabad.