SC Adjourns Kids Abduction Suo Motu Case Till Aug 3

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th july, 2016) : The Supreme Court on Thursday, adjourning hearing of a suo motu notice regarding abduction of 600 children in Punjab till August 3, sought recommendations from civil society, Child Protection Bureau and others.

The bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and Justice Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rehman heard the matter at Supreme Court Lahore Registry on Thursday. Earlier, Additional Inspector General (AIG) of Police Punjab Arif Nawaz and Advocate General Punjab Shakeel-ur-Rehman appeared before the bench in response to the court directions.

The AIG, submitting a report, apprised the bench that 6,793 children were abducted in Punjab from 2011 to 2016 and 6,654 were recovered during this period, whereas 139 cases were still being investigated.

He said that 1,134 children were kidnapped in 2015 and 1,093 were recovered, whereas 767 children were kidnapped in 2016 and 715 were recovered.

He submitted that most cases were reported in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar districts.

Most of the children were kidnapped from lorri addas, parks, and railway stations and their age ranges from 6 to 15 years, he added. He said that only four children were kidnapped for ransom and all were recovered. To a court query, the AIG replied that no complaint was received about kidnapping of children for obtaining their body organs.

The acting CJP observed that it was a sensitive matter and the court would probe it to the core. The bench, adjourning further hearing till August 3, sought a detailed report from the police authorities into the matter.

The court also sought recommendations from civil society, Child Protection Bureau and others. The acting CJP on Tuesday took suo motu notice after the media reported that 600 children had been kidnapped from Punjab.