PESHAWAR:
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has issued notices to the federal government, the FIA director general and the director general of immigration and passports, seeking responses to a petition filed to recover a Russian citizen who allegedly went missing after arriving in Pakistan.
A single-member bench headed by Chief Justice SM Atiq Shah heard the case. During the proceedings, the petitioner’s lawyer Mohsin Farooq, additional advocate general Nomanul Haq Kakakhel and deputy public prosecutor Atif Nazeer appeared before the court.
The petitioner’s lawyer informed the bench that the Russian national, Mahmud Glegov, arrived in Islamabad in January 2025 and later went to Peshawar, where he allegedly disappeared. He said there has been no trace of him since, nor any information on who might have taken him. He added that the petition was filed to ensure his safe recovery.
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At this stage, the additional advocate general told the court that a report from the CTD had been received but the ministry itself did not have any information. The deputy attorney general said authorities did not even know for sure whether the Russian citizen had actually entered Pakistan or whether he had actually arrived in Islamabad.
Responding to this, the Chief Justice remarked that the first clarification needed is whether he landed at the Islamabad airport, after which the government could be questioned. The petitioner’s lawyer claimed that the Russian citizen had indeed arrived in Islamabad, communicated with his brother, received a visa from Moscow and traveled to Pakistan in January 2025.
The Chief Justice directed DG FIA and DG Immigration & Passports to look into the matter thoroughly and submit a detailed report confirming whether the petitioner’s brother entered Pakistan. Both departments were ordered to file their reports before the next hearing.
The bench then issued formal notices to the federal government, DG FIA and DG Immigration & Passports, seeking their responses and adjourned the proceedings.
