SHC directs police, other LEAs to recover missing persons

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Monday directed police and other law enforcement agencies to file comments on petitions against illegal detention of citizens allegedly by personnel of the law enforcement agencies.

Petitioners Sidra Shahzad, Maria, Mehar Nigar, Saira Bano, Shazia Chandio and Rehana submitted in their petitions that police and other law enforcement agencies had taken Shahzad, Mohammad Saeed, Asif, Ajab Khan, Mohammad Amin, Aqib Chandio, Waseem and Imam Bux into their custody from Korangi, Pak Colony, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Shah Faisal Colony, Gulistan-e-Johar and Saadi Town during raids and that their whereabouts were unknown. They said the law enforcement agencies neither produced the detainees before any court of law nor details of their cases were given to their family members. They sought their production orders before the court and also requested the court to direct police and other respondents to provide details of any cases against them.

The Sindh Rangers and the Korangi police denied the arrest or detention of Shahzad. The Korangi police said they would register a case and proceed in accordance with the law if the petitioner approached the police station for the alleged enforced disappearance. The SHC’s division bench, headed by Justice Abdul Maalik Gaddi, directed the police and other law enforcement agencies to file comments on the petitions and also directed the relevant SSPs to make efforts for early recovery of the detainees.

Meanwhile, the SHC set aside the 14-year imprisonment of a man earlier convicted in an explosive substance case.

Kashif Siddiqui was jailed for 14 years by an anti-terrorism court after he was found guilty of possessing explosive substance. According to the prosecution, police had arrested the appellant from Orangi Town and found hand grenade on him on January 3, 2019. The appellant’s counsel, on the other hand, submitted that Kashif was detained by police on December 2, 2018.