Islamabad, March 24, 2025: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday summoned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad over the disappearance of journalist Ahmad Noorani’s two brothers. The summons was issued during a hearing on a plea filed by Noorani’s mother, seeking their recovery.
Noorani, a US-based journalist associated with FactFocus, recently published an investigative report on a high-ranking military official and his relatives. His brothers, Muhammad Saifur Rehman Haider and Muhammad Ali, went missing from their Islamabad residence in the early hours of Wednesday.
In her petition, Noorani’s mother, Amina Bashir, claimed her sons were “forcibly disappeared” by unidentified individuals, allegedly from intelligence agencies, in an attempt to silence Noorani’s journalism. The petition named the government, Ministry of Defence, Islamabad IGP, and the station house officer (SHO) of Noon Police Station as respondents.
On Saturday, the IHC directed the SHO to submit a detailed report on the disappearance. However, during Monday’s proceedings, Justice Raja Inam Ameen Minhas expressed dissatisfaction with the report and summoned the Islamabad IGP on March 26. Advocate Imaan Hazir Mazari, representing the petitioner, criticized the authorities for failing to register a case despite several days passing since the incident.
During the hearing, Noorani’s mother broke down in tears, questioning the court’s accountability if harm befell her sons. The SHO claimed the police had utilized all available resources, including geofencing, call record analysis, and CCTV footage, but had yet to locate the missing individuals. Justice Minhas rebuked the police for not presenting concrete findings.
Mazari accused intelligence agencies of orchestrating the abduction in retaliation for Noorani’s reporting. She also questioned how the police could claim to be investigating without officially filing a report. Justice Minhas stated that he would only issue orders within his authority and declined to pass directives that could not be enforced.
The court adjourned the hearing until March 26.
