Police tell SHC: suspects in murder of Chinese national not in custody

KARACHI: Two employees of a Chinese shipping company have been nominated as suspects in the murder of the Chinese national and the police are actively trying to trace them, the investigation officer told the Sindh High Court on Wednesday.

The court was hearing the petitions of Rafiq Khan, Hasim and Shakil Ahmed against enforced disappearance of four people including three employees of the Chinese shipping company, allegedly by the law enforcement agencies in connection with the murder of the Chinese national. The Chinese national, Chen Zhun, was the MD of the COSCO shipping company and was killed on February 4.

The petitioners, Rafiq Khan, Hashim and Shakil Ahmed had pleaded that their sons Amir Khan, Atif Khan, Rehan Hashim and Saqib Ahmed were allegedly arrested by law enforcement agencies from Saadi Town and Gulistan-e-Johar on February 22 and 23 and their whereabouts are unknown ever since. Expressing apprehension about the lives of their children, who worked at the shipping company, they pleaded to the court to direct the law enforcement agencies to produce them. The Investigation officer of the Counter Terrorism Department submitted to the court that Rehan Hashim and Saqib Ahmed were nominated as suspects in the murder case and they have gone underground. He submitted that the other two Amir and Atif Khan were also not in their custody.

The SHC's division bench headed by Justice Naimaullah Phulpoto adjourned the hearing till March 22 and directed the Rangers and other respondents to file their comments on the next date of hearing.

In another petition related to detention, the SHC directed the home department to ensure that the complainant is heard in the joint investigation team and the provincial task force meetings in the future.

Hearing the petition of Mehar Rasheed, who challenged the detention of her two sons Danish and Dr. Junaid, the court observed that the complainant in the missing persons case had complained of not being heard during the proceedings of the joint investigation teams and provincial task force.

During another hearing,the SHC directed the provincial and the federal law officers to file comments on the petitions against detention of citizens allegedly by the personnel of law enforcement agencies. The petitioners Sehar Bano, Murad Iqbal, Hameedullah had submitted that the personnel of law enforcement agencies have picked up Sikandar, Zubair, Imam Bux, Ehsanullah and Ubaidullah from Malir and Orangi Town and their whereabouts are not known. They requested the court to produce the detainees and provide details of cases if any against them.