PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor to apprise it of progress on the recovery of kidnapped Islamia College University Peshawar vice chancellor Professor Ajmal Khan.

Last year, the court had ordered formation of a committee to be headed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor to make efforts for the safe recovery of Professor Ajmal, who was kidnapped by militants four years ago.

Hearing the suo motu case of the kidnapping, a bench comprising PHC Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth issued notice to the special secretary to the provincial governor asking him to produce a report on the meetings of the said committee.

Date for the next hearing will be fixed afterwards.

Last year, former deputy attorney general Mohammad Iqbal Mohmand had sent an application to then Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan through the court’s human rights cell seeking suo motu notice of the matter saying almost three years had passed but the provincial government had taken no step for the recovery of the vice chancellor.

On Tuesday, Iqbal Mohmand said eight employees of Gomal Zam dam Project were kidnapped by militants in 2012 following which the high court had ordered the constitution of a committee, which included parliamentarians from North and South Waziristan agencies.

He said after safe recovery of the said employees, the court had also issued directives for constitution of committee on similar pattern so as to ensure safe recovery of Ajmal Khan.

In Oct 2013, a bench of the court had directed the governor to convene a meeting of high-ups including the provincial home secretary, additional chief secretary of Fata Secretariat, political agents of North and South Waziristan tribal agencies and the parliamentarians of the two agencies so as to chalk out plan for the recovery of Ajmal Khan.

The bench had also directed the court should be informed about the steps taken by the government so far for the recovery of the vice chancellor and the details of the said meeting to be held on court orders. However, so far the government had not provided the relevant details.

In the application, Iqbal Mohmand said a video footage of Ajmal was released about which story had appeared in local newspapers on July 7, 2013, wherein he had requested the chief justice and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor and chief minister to take interest in his release from the clutches of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2014