Lahore High Court Asks Interior Ministry to Report on Missing TLP Leaders Saad and Ans Rizvi by October 27

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has asked the federal interior ministry to report on the whereabouts of the missing TLP leaders Saad Rizvi and Ans Rizvi, directing it to file its reply to the petition by October 27. The order came after the station house officers of 30 Punjab police stations told the court, in writing, that none of them had arrested the two brothers.

The petition and the hearing

Justice Muhammad Jawad Zafar heard a petition filed by Sarwat Fatima, a leader of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, who has challenged the brothers’ alleged detention and asked the court to order their recovery. Advocate Burhan Moazam Malik appeared for the petitioner, while Assistant Advocate General Farrukh Khan Lodhi submitted reports on behalf of the 30 police stations where a total of 54 cases have been registered against the TLP leadership. Every SHO denied making an arrest — but the reports also disclosed that anti-terrorism courts have declared Saad Rizvi a proclaimed offender in four cases and Ans Rizvi in five. The court has also issued notices to the federal interior secretary and the Federal Investigation Agency.

Where are the brothers? Two versions, no answer

Saad and Ans Rizvi have been missing since a police operation against TLP protesters near Muridke on October 13 last year. The police maintain that the brothers fled to Azad Jammu and Kashmir and are not in the custody of any agency. The TLP alleges the opposite — that the agencies are holding them. More than a year on, neither version has been established before a court. What the interior ministry tells the Lahore High Court on October 27 will be the first time the state has to answer the question formally.