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Tuesday March 19, 2024

IGP, others put on notice over plea against detention of businessman

By Jamal Khurshid
May 30, 2023

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued notices to the Sindh inspector general of police (IGP), home department and others on a petition against detention of a businessman allegedly by law enforcement agencies.

Petitioner Saneeh Sattar submitted in the petition that her spouse Shahid Sattar, who is a businessman and the owner of the Oxford Knitting Mills, had been taken into custody on May 25 by personnel of law enforcement agencies from DHA Phase VI. The petitioner’s counsel, Salahuddin Ahmed, said she had approached various law enforcement agencies to ascertain the whereabouts of her spouse but was unable to trace him.

He submitted that there was no trace of the detainee since May 25 and official respondents had detained the petitioner’s spouse in an unlawful manner without any lawful excuse. He submitted that the detention was in violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed under the articles 4,9,10 and 14 of the constitution.

The high court was requested to direct the police and law enforcement agencies to produce the detained man and provide details of cases, if any, against him and release him with compensation over his unlawful detention.

A division bench of the high court headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto after the preliminary hearing of the petition issued notices to federal and provincial law officers, Sindh IGP and others and called their comments on May 31.

Missing persons

The high court also issued notices to the federal ministry of interior and others to file their progress reports in missing persons cases. Hearing petitions against enforced disappearance of citizens, the SHC observed that reports from internment centres as well as police of other provinces had not been filed despite the court orders.

The high court observed that several joint investigation teams (JIT) and provincial task force sessions had been held for the recovery of missing persons but to no avail.

The SHC warned the secretaries of the ministries of defence and interior to collect reports from the internment centres with regard to the presence of missing persons and produce the reports before the court by the next date of hearing or else appropriate orders shall be passed.

The high court directed the home secretary and relevant officers to repeat the sessions of joint investigation teams and the provincial task force and submit compliance reports on the next date of hearing.