ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah on Monday said the federal government should provide Baloch students with forums where they could be heard, as it was a very serious matter.

The Chief Justice said this while hearing a petition against the registration of a case against the Baloch students who protested outside the National Press Club in Islamabad against enforced disappearances.

The petition seeking dismissal of the case registered against the Baloch students was filed by advocate Imaan Zainab Hazir Mazari, daughter of Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mehrunnisa Mazari and others on Saturday.

Attorney General for Pakistan, Inspector-General Islamabad Police and Additional Secretary Interior appeared before the court on notice. Chief Justice Athar Minallah noted that the children of Balochistan were protesting peacefully. He regretted that the federal government should have paid more attention to them, however, no one has visited them yet.

The Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan assured the court that someone from the government would visit and listen to them. He also admitted that it was wrong to harass the Baloch students. The Chief Justice noted that the Prime Minister should have personally visited the Baloch students. He said the court will not allow the voice of Baloch students to be silenced.

To a court query that whether the case registered against the Baloch students should be declared null and void, the Attorney General said the court should not itself dismiss the case and police should be allowed to do so. Later, the court adjourned the hearing until March 21.

Earlier on March 4, the IHC had restrained the police from apprehending rights activist advocate Imaan Zainab Mazari and Baloch students in connection with the First Information Report (FIR) registered against them for staging a protest over the disappearance of a Baloch student.

The petition had stated that students of Quaid-e-Azam University, mostly belonging to the province of Balochistan, had arranged a peaceful meeting near the National Press Club to raise their voice against the alleged enforced disappearance of a student, Hafeez Baloch. The petition had said the respondents transgressed their powers by using excessive force to disperse the peaceful protesters, in which several participants of the peaceful assembly had allegedly received injuries.

On March 1, a criminal case had been registered under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly, 186 (obstructing public service), 188 (disobedience), 353 (assault on public servant), 500 (defamation) and 504 (insult) of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against the protesters.