SHC issues notice to home dept on plea for probing encounters led by Rao Anwar

Karachi
The Sindh High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Advocate General, home secretary and others on a petition seeking investigation into the killing of more than 50 suspects in alleged police encounters led by former SSP Malir Rao Anwar in past six months.
Petitioner Rana Faiz-ul-Hasan stated his application that the former SSP had killed several suspects, including Talban militants, in staged encounters in the past six months. He said not a single suspect was produced in court for a fair trial.
He alleged that the former SSP was patronising land grabbers in Gadap town. He said land grabbers had also threatened Ran Anwar to withdraw the case pertaining to the occupation of evacuee property situated in Sikandar Goth.
He requested the court to order an inquiry into the killing of more than 50 suspects in alleged encounters by various police parties led by Rao Anwar.
He also sought judicial inquiry over the killings of suspects claimed to have been killed in police encounters during the past five years.
The petitioner also requested the high court to seek details from higher authorities to find out on whose behest and orders the former SSP had held a press conference in which he accused the Muttahida Quami Movement of being involved in anti-state activities and killing of people belonging to different school of thoughts.

Notice to Zulfiqar Mirza
The Sindh High Court also issued a contempt of court notice to former home minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza on an application filed by former president Asif Ali Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur for alleged violation of court orders.
Faryal Talpur’s counsel stated that the court had restrained Zulfiqar Mirza from making defamatory statements against Faryal Talpur but he still continued to do so in electronic and print media, and sought action against him for disobeying the court orders.
Hence, the SHC division bench headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah after preliminary hearing of the petition issued a notice to Zulfiqar Mirza for May 29.
His counsel also sought time to file a counter affidavit on the comments filed by the Sindh IGP and others.
On the petition filed by Mirza himself against
withdrawal of security, the Sindh inspector general of
police had stated that under the law former ministers
were not entitled to police security.
However, he said, protection had been provided to the former home minister, a few other ex ministers and the leader of Pakistan People’s Party’s women’s wing president MNA Faryal Talpur on the basis of reports of intelligence agencies.
Mirza, who served as the Sindh home minister from 2008 to 2011, contended that on account of his enmity with the Muttahida Quami Movement chief Altaf Hussain and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, he had serious threats to his and the lives of his family members.
He argued that 250 policemen were deployed for the security of MNA Faryal Talpur while 50 were deployed for Anwar Majeed, a business associate of former president Asif Ali Zardari, at the state’s expense.