SHC issues notices on suspended police inspector’s plea

The Sindh High Court has issued notices to the Sindh advocate general, the prosecutor general and others on a suspended police inspector’s petition seeking quashment of an FIR against him for abetting criminals, the misuse of power and receiving illegal gratification.

Petitioner Waqar Arain, a former Malir cantonment police SHO, has moved the court for quashment of FIR against him registered at the Malir cantonment police station. Arain along with four policemen and two intelligence agency personnel have been booked for the misuse of power, receiving illegal gratification and concealing drugs found during raids on drug smugglers.

According to police, Arain, sub-inspector Zahid Hussain, police personnel Ejaz Ali, Tariq Farooq and Majid as well as two intelligence agency personnel, Khan Jalil and Islam Nawaz, were arrested on charges of releasing some drug dealers instead of nominating them in an FIR with other suspects, after receiving heavy bribe and drugs from them while misusing their authorities.

The petitioner’s counsel submitted that his client was falsely implicated in the case on the basis of rivalry by other police officers. He said a police team during a search operation arrested the suspects on charges of the possession of hashish and booked them under the Pakistan Penal Code, however, a counter FIR was registered in the same offence by a sub-inspector against them for misusing power and receiving illegal gratification. He requested the court to quash the FIR proceedings pending against him.

The SHC’s division bench, headed by Justice Abdul Maalik Gaddi, after the preliminary hearing of the petition subject to the maintainability of the petition issued notices to the advocate general, the prosecutor general and others and called their comments on August 10.

Missing persons

The SCH issued notices to the federal and provincial law officers, the home department, the Sindh police chief and others on petitions filed against the illegal detention of citizens allegedly by law enforcement agencies.

Petitioners Sidra Shahzad, Mohammad Ashraf and Fiazuddin submitted in their petitions that law enforcement agencies, including police, took into custody Shahzad, Imran Ashraf and Salman Ayaz from Korangi, Model Colony and North Nazimabad areas during different raids but their whereabouts were unknown.

They said police and other law enforcement agencies neither produced them before any court of law nor details of their cases were being informed to their family members. They sought the production of the detainees before the court and also requested the court to direct police and other respondents to provide details of any cases against them.

The court issued notices to the provincial and federal law officers, the home department, the IG and relevant police stations and directed them to file comments on the petitions as well make efforts for the recovery of the missing persons.