KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has directed the law enforcement agencies on Thursday to make all-out efforts for the recovery of missing persons.
A division bench headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto issued notices to the provincial home secretary, provincial chiefs of rangers and police and others in several petitions seeking whereabouts of the missing men. The court also issued notices to the federal and provincial law officers to ensure filing of comments by the respondents till December 15.
The court had taken up over 50 constitutional petitions seeking recovery of the missing persons. Petitioner Hidayattullah has submitted that the law enforcers had picked up his brother – Muhammad Zikriya – from his home in Korangi area on November 11. Since then, his whereabouts were unknown to his family, he said.
He complained to the judges that his brother was unlawfully detained as neither did the security agencies produce him in any court nor do they release him. He maintained that his brother had no criminal record and despite that he has been kept in illegal detention. Samina Abdul Wahab – another petitioner – stated that her spouse Abdul Wahab was taken away from his house in Gulshan-e-Iqbal on October 9 and was missing since then.
She said that her spouse was picked up without any plausible reason as he was not involved in any criminal activity, nor was he affiliated with any outlawed organisation. The petitioner requested the court to order the law enforcement agencies to produce her husband in the court. Zahida Parveen said that her son Muhammad Tariq was whisked away by the rangers from his home in Baghdadi area on October 14.
She said that whereabouts of her son was still unknown as police had not produced his son before any court. She said that she had approached the police station concerned and other security agencies to seek his son’s whereabouts but all to no avail. Petitioner Anjum Zia said that the agencies picked up her spouse Ziaur Rehman from his home in July 19 and since then he was missing.
She told the judges that she had learnt that her son was incarcerated in Landi prison without any criminal charges against him. She lamented that she had run from pillar to post to seek the release of her son but to no avail. She requested the judges to order the security agencies to produce her son before the court. Saba Zafar – another petitioner – said that her husband Zafar Iqbal had gone missing on November 16 and requested the court to ask the security forces to locate him.
