By Usman Manzoor

ISLAMABAD: As the government has failed to apprehend those who kidnapped and tortured The News senior investigation reporter Umar Cheema, the Senate’s Standing Committee on Human Rights will take up the issue today (Monday), summoning the authorities concerned to the meeting for inquiring about the status of the Judicial Commission’s report in this respect and the performance of Joint Investigation Team (JIT).

Umar Cheema was abducted in early September 2010. He was tortured and humiliated for seven hours presumably by the thugs of an elite intelligence agency who later dumped him 120 km away from Islamabad.

The federal government initially showed enthusiasm in locating the culprits, but it faded in no time as neither the investigation was carried out nor the culprits traced.

Two bodies were setup for probing into the matter: Joint Investigation Team (JIT) and Judicial Commission (JC). The JIT has miserably failed in its task as nothing has been done so far, even the forensics collected from the vehicle of Cheema have not been sent to National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

Whereas JC has submitted to the Interior Ministry its fact-finding report that also include the recommendations for legislation on how to rein in the intelligence agencies from such barbaric acts.

Opposition Leader in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has raised the issue of Umar Cheema at the floor of the house, more than eight times, demanding the submission of the JC’s report before the National Assembly.
Source: The News
Date:2/21/2011