Summons issued to defence ministry, agencies over navy officer’s Rs200m lawsuits

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued summons to the ministry of defence, naval and military intelligence, police and others for December 22 for a hearing of lawsuits for damages, worth Rs200 million, filed by a former naval officer against his illegal detention and implication in a false case.
The plaintiff was found innocent of the charges and was acquitted during the trial’s proceedings. Plaintiff Mohammad Akif Shahid, an ex-naval lieutenant, submitted in his two lawsuits that there had been a conflict between him and a high ranking naval officer over a confidential issue that led to him being relieved from service.
Shahid maintained that he had challenged his removal in the high court and was since being harassed by intelligence agencies. Despite the court’s clear directions no fair inquiry was conducted to address his grievances, he added.
The plaintiff stated that intelligence agencies kept him in a month-long unlawful detention and later handed him over to the New Town police after booking him in a case of violation of the Army Secret Act.
He alleged that on September 21, 2015 he was taken into custody from Saddar by intelligence agencies’ personnel when he was returning from his bank. He said he was later forced to open his bank’s locker from which all his financial and educational documents and other valuables were confiscated. He was kept under detention till October 22.
He added that he took the matter to the banking ombudsman, but his application was not entertained by him as the matter was sub-judice before the SHC.
However, it was confirmed that the plaintiff’s locker was forcefully operated by some personnel and that he was kept under detention by intelligence agencies. He further alleged that the only reason behind detaining him and implicating him in a false case was to drag the matter of his reinstatement.
The ex-naval official submitted that he had also had to bear heavy monetary expenses to get medical treatment for his psychological condition that took a toll owing to the defendants’ malicious acts.
He maintained that owing to the fiasco, he was put to public contempt and was labelled and treated an accused in the society, whereby the goodwill of his character and his personal prestige was put to irreparable loss. Shahid complained of being defamed and derogated in front of his family, community, friends, relatives, society and at his ex-colleagues.
The former naval officer said his acquittal was proof, beyond the shadows of all reasonable doubts, that he was dragged into the false criminal litigation with malafide intention in order to ruin his spotless career.
He maintained that the secretary defence neither responded to a letter he wrote to him for action to be taken against responsible officers who continue to perform their duties, nor did he take any action against the officials.
The acts of the defendants are suggestive of the fact that they have nothing to say in response to the correspondence and are avoiding taking action against the responsible officials, maintained the plaintiff. The court was requested to decree the defendants pay a sum of Rs200 million, jointly or severely, to the plaintiff on account of damages.