The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued notices to the federal and provincial law officers, heads of law enforcement agencies and others on a petition seeking recovery of a missing Rabita committee member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Altaf (MQM-A).
Petitioner Shabana Ishaq submitted that her spouse Sathi M Ishaque, who had recently joined the MQM-Altaf, was allegedly picked up by law enforcement agencies’ personnel and his whereabouts were unknown.
She submitted that police personnel and other law enforcers raided her house and picked up her spouse, daughter and son. However, the children were released later, but the whereabouts of her spouse were yet to be traced. She expressed fear of her husband being booked in false cases.
She requested the court to direct the police and other law enforcement agencies to provide details of cases if any pending against her spouse and produce him before the court. The court issuing notices to federal and provincial law officers, and other respondents called their comments.
The court hearing the petitions against detention of missing persons directed concerned SSPs to make efforts to recovery citizens allegedly.
The court observed that recovering missing citizens was the responsibility of the government, and directed the government officials to ensure recovery of the missing persons.
SBC condemns arrest of Sathi
The Sindh Sindh Bar Council strongly condemned the raid at Advocate Ishaque’s house, a former member of the bar council, and their alleged misbehaviour with his family.
SBC’s vice chairman, Salahuddin Ahmed, said Sathi Ishaque was a well known lawyer and such raids were nothing but an attempt to harass him for belonging to a faction of a political party that was out of favour with the establishment.
He said one’s association with a political party was not violation of law and that this kind of victimisation was not only unconstitutional, but shall cause law enforcement agencies to lose their credibility and popular support for their actions against actual criminals.
