ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has ordered the government to issue notices to General (retd) Pervez Musharraf and all other successive prime ministers, including Imran Khan and PM Shehbaz Sharif, for “undeclared tacit approval of the policy regarding enforced disappearances”.

(Update on case, June 17: Govt fails to produce missing people)

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah issued a 15-page order on Sunday in a case regarding enforced disappearance of journalist and blogger Mudassar Naru and five others which were fixed for final arguments but the federal government requested an adjournment.

The chief executives were asked to submit affidavits explaining the court why it should not initiate proceedings against them for “alleged subversion of the Constitution” related to enforced disappearance as it has put “national security at risk by allowing the involvement of law enforcing agencies”.

“The onus is on each chief executive to rebut the presumption and to explain why they may not be tried for the offence of high treason,” read the order.

The court also directed the government to produce the missing persons before the court by June 17 or they shall justify the “failure of the state to investigate and trace their whereabouts”.

Justice Minallah in the order stated that Musharraf who took reins of power after “abrogating the Constitution” has mentioned in his autobiography “In the Line of Fire” that “enforced disappearances” was an “undeclared policy of the state”.

The order added that the governments never denied the “existence” of enforced disappearance and impunity against it. It has “failed to dispel the impression” that enforced disappearance is an “undeclared policy of the state”.