Police, Rangers chiefs put on notice on pleas against ‘enforced disappearances’

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed federal and provincial law officers, the Sindh inspector general of police (IGP), the Rangers director general (DG) and others on petitions against enforced disappearances of citizens allegedly by law enforcement agencies (LEAs).

Petitioners Mumtaz, Sajjad Haider and Shabana Hasib submitted that the police and other LEAs personnel had picked up Sajjad, Ghulam Haider and Mohammad Osama from the Orangi Town, Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Gulshan-e-Iqbal areas respectively and their whereabouts were unknown.

They submitted that the police and LEAs were not disclosing the whereabouts of the detainees who were also not being produced before any court of law. The petitioners expressed apprehension about safety of the missing persons and requested the SHC to direct the police and LEAs to produce the detainees and provide details of charges against them if there were any.

The SHC issued notices to federal and provincial law officers, the IGP, the Rangers DG and others and called their comments.

Conviction set aside

The SHC set aside the conviction of a man in a case pertaining to police encounter and possession of illegal arms.

Waqar Ali had been sentenced to 10-year imprisonment by an anti-terrorism court after it found him guilty in a police encounter and illegal weapons case. According to the prosecution, the appellant was arrested after a shoot-out with police in the Awami Colony area on June 15, 2016.

A counsel for the appellant submitted that the prosecution had failed to prove its case and no evidence had been produced against the appellant to prove his guilt. He requested the SHC to set aside the conviction.

Meanwhile, a state counsel defended the trial court’s verdict and requested the high court to dismiss the appeal.

After hearing the arguments of both the sides and perusal of the evidence, the SHC annulled the trial court’s verdict and ordered to release the appellant if not required in other cases.