The Islamabad High Court on Friday instructed the vice chancellor of the Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad to conduct an inquiry into the alleged 'harassment and profiling' of Baloch students.

IHC Chief Justice Justice Minallah issued the instructions while hearing two petitions: one by the father of Abdul Hafeez Baloch who went missing in February and the other by advocate Imaan Zainab Mazari and Baloch students against a sedition case filed against them by Islamabad police over a protest against 'enforced disappearances'.

When asked about the name of university and its chancellor where the students were being harassed, Justice Minallah was informed that the petitioners were students at the Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad, and the president is the university chancellor.

The IHC chief justice remarked that the chancellor should ensure that no students could be harassed. He further inquired about Abdul Hafeez Baloch, who had been missing since February.

Abdul Hafeez, who is the only student from Khuzdar enrolled in the MPhil programme at the Quaid-e-Azam University, went missing from a private academy in his area on February 8, reported Samaa. He belongs to the Baghbana Bajoi village of the district.

Baloch students have been protesting outside Islamabad's National Press Club for nearly a month against Abdul Hafeez's disappearance and the harassment of Baloch students in the federal capital and Punjab's universities.

In the beginning of March, Hafeez's father Haji Hassan travelled from Khuzdar to Islamabad in search of his missing son and joined the protest camp outside the press club.

Futile and derogatory

On Wednesday IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had directed Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to meet Baloch students, who were protesting against "enforced disappearances" and harassment in Islamabad and Punjab universities, and listen to their grievances.

In his arguments, deputy attorney general told the court that the interior minister had a meeting with the aggrieved Baloch students on the orders of the court.

During today's (Friday) hearing, Mazari's counsel told the court that the meeting with the interior minister was not only futile but also derogatory. The counsel shared with the court the interior minister's remark that he was "a guest for one day" while meeting Baloch students, adding that the complainant had no hopes from the interior minister but they expected a solution from the high court.

In the hearing, Mazari's counsel also told the court that there was information about Abdul Hafeez being in custody at Khuzdar police station, and that the police have filed a terrorism case against him.

Meanwhile, the Baloch Students Council in Islamabad quoted the family of Hafeez Baloch as saying that he is in the custody of city police of Dera Murad Jamal. "They [the family] have been allowed to meet him but he is yet to be released and hasn't reached home safely," the tweet continued. Aaj Digital is unable to verify the veracity of this information.

Later, the court adjourned hearing of the case till April 8.

Missing Persons

A case related to missing bloggers and journalists is also ongoing at the Islamabad High Court where Mudassar Naru, missing since 2018, is being discussed. His four-year-old son Sachal regularly appears before the IHC along with his grandmother to attend hearings after his mother's untimely and sudden demise. During the recent hearing, the high court ordered the Commission of Enquiry on Enforced Disappearances to submit a report before the next court date.

Earlier, the court had granted time to the commission so they could conduct a thorough investigation into the missing persons cases, and also asked the commission to present its final arguments.

Besides, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had remarked that persons involved in enforced disappearances could not do it on their own without the consent of the federal government.

The commission is headed by Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal, who is also chairperson of the National Accountability Bureau.

In December 2021, the commission issued its progress report for November and claimed that it had disposed of 6,047 cases, reported The News.

The commission received 8,279 cases of alleged enforced disappearance from March 2011 to November 30, 2021, across the country, read the report.