The wife of Farrukh Habib, a senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has written a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, requesting him to take notice of her husband’s alleged ‘enforced disappearance’ and ensure his immediate recovery.
In her correspondence, she stated that Farrukh Habib was reportedly taken into custody by unidentified individuals in Gwadar on September 28, 2023. However, he has not been presented before a magistrate in any court, which she believes is a clear violation of his fundamental right to a fair trial and access to justice.
She expressed deep concerns regarding the intensified crackdown following May 9, 2023, and she feared that her husband might be subjected to torture and humiliation with the intention of coercing a change in his political loyalties.
She suggested a deliberate strategy behind these disappearances, which appeared to target all abducted political leaders.
In her letter, she highlighted Farrukh Habib’s credentials as the PTI President of the West Region, emphasizing his reputation as a law-abiding citizen of Pakistan. He had previously served as a member of the National Assembly from August 2018 to April 2022 and held the position of Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting.
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Expressing her concern, Farrukh’s wife believed that every possible effort under state supervision had been made to keep her husband as a missing person.
She asserted that the current regime was widely recognized for committing serious human rights violations and conducting unprovoked crackdowns on political activists, workers, and leaders. As a result, many PTI members had been forced into hiding for their safety.
She also mentioned that they had filed a habeas corpus petition in the Lahore High Court to secure Farrukh’s recovery, which had led to the direction for the Inspector General of Punjab (IGP) to provide a report on his whereabouts.
However, she lamented that the progress of the petition had been exceedingly slow, and no significant developments had been observed thus far.
