IGP, Rangers put on notice over detention of grade six student

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday directed federal and provincial law officers, the Sindh inspector general of police (IGP), Rangers and others to file comments on a petition against illegal detention of a student of sixth grade.

Petitioner Munir Khan submitted that personnel of law enforcement agencies had picked up his 13-year-old son Daulat Khan from the Baldia Town area on January 1 and his whereabouts had been unknown since then.

He submitted that his son had not been produced before any court of law and that he feared for his life. He requested the SHC to direct the police and Rangers to produce the detainee and provide the details of cases, if there were any, against him.

A division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto, after a preliminary hearing of the petition, issued notices to the federal and provincial law officers, the IGP, Rangers and others and called their comments.

Appeals in murder case

The SHC issued a notice to the prosecutor general on an appeal of convicts against their death sentence in a case pertaining to rape and murder of a minor girl. Syed Altaf Hussain Shah, Syed Haider Ali Shah, Syed Mohammad Arif Shah and Shahid Mehmood were sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) for sexually assaulting minor girl and later killing her.

According to the prosecution, the appellants, who were relatives of the seven-year-old victim, sexually assaulted her and later killed her in the limits of the Sacchal police station on January 1, 2018.

The appellants filed appeals against the ATC judgment and requested the SHC to set aside their conviction, claiming that they were falsely implicated in the case. The high court issued notices to the prosecutor general and called record and proceedings of the case from the trial court.

Plea against ECL

The SHC directed the federal interior ministry and others to file comments on a petition of the provincial adviser on prisons, Ejaz Jakhrani, against the inclusion of his name on the Exit Control List (ECL).

Jakhrani submitted that the interior ministry had placed his name on the ECL as part of political victimisation. He submitted that no person could be denied from travelling abroad on the basis of an inquiry and requested the SHC to direct the government to remove his name from the ECL.