LAHORE, December 13 (Reuters): A Pakistani court on Wednesday summoned a police officer investigating the case of a missing peace activist who is believed to have been kidnapped by unidentified men this month. Four activists critical of the army and its attitude towards militant groups went missing this year but reappeared after about a month. Two later said Pakistani military intelligence agents abducted and tortured them. The military denied the accusations. The latest activist to go missing is Raza Mehmood Khan, 40, a member of Aghaz-i-Dosti (Start of Friendship) group that works to build peace between arch-rivals Pakistan and India. He has not been heard from since Dec. 2 and his family filed a writ of habeas corpus in a court in the eastern city of Lahore in the belief he has been unlawfully detained, a lawyer acting for his family said. The Lahore High Court took up the case on Wednesday and the presiding judge, Anwar ul Haq, asked for the officer in charge of the police station handling the case to appear at the next hearing on Dec. 19. The lawyer, Usama Malik, told Reuters a neighbour had called police on the night of Dec. 2 to report that Khan was being kidnapped by unknown men. Khan’s brother and police arrived to find Khan gone, along with his mobile telephones and computer, the lawyer said. Police were not available for comment on the court summons on Wednesday.
