LAHORE – Lahore High Court on Tuesday ordered relevant authorities to file a case in order to recover the director of Rumi Forum and former principal of Pak-Turk school, Mesut Kacmaz who along with his wife and two daughters went missing from his residence in Wapda Town on September 27.
The court was hearing petitions filed by Turkish citizen Orhan and others which seek to challenge the illegal deportation of teachers and staff of Pak-Turk Schools. A petition had also been filed by the missing family.
No FIR seems to be filed in the case as yet but the whereabouts of the family remain to be unknown.
In a written order the court directed the government to stop harassment of teachers and staff of Pak-Turk school and to also provide them with the much-needed security. The court also ordered their names to be put on Exit Control List (ECL) so as to help stop the deportation.
The LHV also directed the interior ministry to ask the intelligence agencies to submit a reply on whether the Turkish family is in their custody, also submitting a list of missing persons to be reviewed.
The court on request of Imran Aziz, federal government’s lawyer gave October 16th the next date of hearing to submit a detailed reply in regards to this case.
Aziz pointed out to the court that the government has already written in this regard to the intelligence agencies and is waiting for a review.
Saddar SP Rizwan Gondal, informed the court that the police remain clueless about the missing family.
It is said that Kacmaz is currently on ‘UNHCR asylum seeker certificate’ since November 2016 when Pakistan revoked visas of staffers working with the Pak-Turk Schools in compliance with a request of the Turkish government.
Authorities in Turkey have blamed US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen for the failed coup last July 2016, which led to a massive crackdown against his supporters around the world.
Sources state that the director of Rumi Forum was actively against the Turkish premier Recep Tayyib Erdogan on social media.
Since the failed coup attempt, Turkey has fired 21,000 teachers and also arrested hundreds of academics for being part or supporting the coup against the present regime.
