SHC orders LEAs to stop harassing Hani Baloch

The Sindh High Court has restrained law enforcement agencies from harassing Hani Baloch, the daughter of detained social activist Wahid Baloch, who has challenged her father’s alleged arrest by security agencies. 

The court was hearing Hani’s petition against the illegal arrest of her father from the Toll Plaza area on July 26. The petitioner has submitted that her father along with a friend, Sabir, was coming back to Karachi from Digri when they were picked up by personnel of law enforcement agencies. Since then, Wahid Baloch’s whereabouts remain unknown. 

The court was informed by the case officer that a joint investigation team was conducting a probe into the arrest and making efforts to recover the detainee. 

Hani Baloch told the court that she was being harassed by the JIT members, to which the provincial law officer stated that all JIT members shall conduct themselves in accordance with the law and assured Hani that they would not bother her unnecessarily. 

At Thursday's hearing, the court observed that law enforcers were bound to perform their duties in accordance with the Constitution and the law, and directed them to ensure the recovery of Wahid Baloch and submit a report within two weeks.

 

Detention cases

In another detention case; that of a citizen named Mohammad Faisal who has been missing since January 9, 2012; the court directed the Sindh IGP to submit a report regarding his recovery. 

The petitioner, Islam Hussain, submitted that his son, Mohammad Faisal, a student of intermediate, went missing from the city’s Saddar area and, after four years, the police seem to have no idea about his whereabouts. 

In the detention case of Anisur Rehman Bhatti, the court directed the investigation officer of the CID to appear along with records of all pending cases against the detainee.

The court was informed by the Kalri police that detainee Anisur Rehman Bhatti was an alleged member of Tehreek-e-Talban Pakistan (Hakeemullah Mehsud group) and was wanted in several criminal cases by the CID. The police had also denied having detained Bhatti.

 

Afaq’s plea

The Sindh High Court has called in comments from the province’s prosecutor general on December 8 over a petition filed by Mohajir Qaumi Movement (Haqiqi) Chairman Afaq Ahmed for transfer of a kidnapping case registered against him from an anti-terrorism court to a sessions court.

Afaq Ahmed is one of several people facing charges of kidnapping Javed Ahmed Baloch, a sub-divisional officer of the Karachi Development Authority, on May 5, 2001 from the Landhi area.