Home secy told to explain why Uzair Baloch not interrogated about four missing persons

The Sindh High Court has issued a notice to the home secretary to explain as to why a court directive for interrogating Lyari gangster Uzair Baloch, who is facing military trial under espionage charges, about four missing persons could not be complied with.

The notice was issued on a petition filed by Phullan Khatoon against the alleged enforced disappearance of her son Ghazi Khan and his friends Mohammad Ameen, Sher Afzal Khan and Shahzad Khan on August 1, 2010.

Khatoon named paramilitary officials as Colonel Suleman, Sher Afsar and Riaz Taman and alleged that Afsar even took a bribe of Rs100,000 from her to arrange a meeting with the detainees.

However, the Rangers and other law-enforcement agencies have denied detaining the four. The Rangers’ counsel had informed the court that Inspector Sher Afsar had admitted to receiving money from the petitioner and, in view of his misconduct, he had been removed from service.

The high court had earlier ordered an inquiry through a DIG-level officer in light of the confessional statement of Lyari gangster Uzair Baloch, who had stated that the four missing persons had been killed on his instructions due to enmity.

The inquiry officer had informed the court that Baloch had confessed to killing Amin alias Lala, a jail staffer, as he [Amin] disrespected him during his confinement in prison, while the other men were killed by his associates, Sarwar Baloch, Akbar Baloch and Sikandar, who then dumped their bodies in the Mewa Shah Graveyard in 2010.

However, he also submitted that the graveyard undertaker and other staff denied that the bodies had been dumped there between October 1 and October 8, 2010.

He added that the associates identified by Baloch – Sarwar Baloch, Akbar Baloch and Sikandar – had been killed in a police encounter and no clue has been found with regard to the remains of the bodies of the missing persons named in Khatoon’s petition.

He further said that Rangers inspector Sher Afsar and ex-sub-inspector Riaz were also being prosecuted in a trial court for kidnapping the detainees and the court’s judgment would determine the true nature of the case.

The court at a previous hearing had ordered the investigation officer to interrogate Uzair Baloch, who has been facing a military trial under the espionage charges, and directed the ministry of defence to assist the police in interrogating him in connection with the missing persons.

The investigation officer submitted before the court that he had written to the 5 corps commander for interrogating Uzair Baloch in connection with missing persons, but no access had been granted yet.

A division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha issued a notice to the home secretary to appear in person and explain the failure to comply with the court order and suggested to the court the way forward so that Uzair Baloch could be interrogated regarding the whereabouts of the missing persons. The court directed the home secretary to submit the explanation by September 26.