SHC slams police for ‘inept’ investigations

The Sindh High Court (SHC) called out police officials on Thursday for their “incompetence” and “inefficiency” with reference to their investigations into missing persons’ cases.

Hearing petitions against enforced disappearances, the SHC’s division bench said that either police officers were not efficient enough to recover missing persons or they lacked interest in carrying out their duties, which was against the spirit of law and the Constitution.

Headed by Justice Syed Mohammad Farooq Shah, the bench said that such conduct of police officers was also amounted to depriving the citizens of liberty, which was a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution.

The court said the investigating officers were not aware of modern modes of investigation while dealing with cases of disappearances.

The SHC directed the provincial police chief, IGP AD Khowaja, to depute a senior officer – not below the rank of DIG and who is well acquainted with contemporary modes of investigation – as focal person to collectively deal with missing persons’ cases pending since years.

The court directed the SSP (East) to recover a seminary student named Anas Ali, who has been missing since August 26, 2015 from the Gulshan-e-Iqbal locality.

In the case of two brothers, namely Mirza Saud Baig and Mirza Mehmood Baig, who went missing from the Karachi airport and Gulshan-e-Iqbal, the court directed the SSP (Investigation) to submit a detailed report on the matter by February 16.

The SHC was informed that Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London leader Sathi Ishaque, who was picked up on January 13, had been released.

The court directed the law enforcement agencies to strictly act in accordance with the law and not arrest any innocent citizen without their involvement in any criminal case.

In the case of Maaz Ahmed and Talha Ahmed, who were missing since April 6, 2014, the bench directed the investigating officer to get in touch with Maulana Aurangzaib Farooqui, leader of the banned Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, to ascertain the whereabouts of the “detainees”.

Petitioner Uzma Shahzadi had told the court that her two sons had been missing for the past three years and their family recently found out that they were seen with Farooqui.

The court also directed the DIG (East) to take over the investigation and submit a report on the matter after determining if they were incarcerated at any internment centre.