The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered the Kohsar police station to investigate the case involving the recovery of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawyer and party founder Imran Khan’s focal person Intizar Panjotha, whose recent disappearance has raised concern.

IHC Chairman Aamir Farooq disposed of the petition regarding Panjotha’s recovery and emphasized the need for accountability and action in such cases of disappearance.

The CJ told the station house officer of Kohsar to record the statement of Intizar Panjotha and take action as per law. “I saw (news) related to Panjotha on TV and felt very bad,” he remarked, calling it a matter of shame for the institution and all the people.

During the hearing, Chief Justice Farooq also expressed his dismay at the increasing incidents of missing persons and street killings in Islamabad, comparing the security situation in the capital to that of Karachi. “My own acquaintances have received extortion demands in Islamabad,” remarked the CJ.

PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen quipped that robberies and crimes will increase when law enforcement is preoccupied with “terrorists” like him. “The Attorney General made an effort, he is an officer of the law, there should not be a negative campaign against him,” he added.

Chief Justice Farooq then directed the Kohsar police station house officer (SHO) to meet Panjotha in the next two days to record his statement and continue investigations as per law. The SHO was also advised to consider Panjotha’s mental and physical well-being after his recovery, as reported by his counsel, who noted that Panjotha was in poor condition on release. The police were advised to fully investigate the case after a few days.

“These things should be seen at this level. This should not have happened,” remarked CJ Farooq.

Panjotha’s lawyer Ali Bukhari told the court that such incidents can happen to anyone tomorrow so it should be looked into.

The chief justice asked the additional attorney general to address the recurring issue of missing persons, calling for preventive measures against future incidents. “In a civilized society there should be freedom of speech,” he stressed.