Meetings with prisoners: Mitha Ram sub-jail officials not complying with court orders, observes SHC

Petitioner claimed she was not allowed to meet her husband despite court orders

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) expressed displeasure with the Sindh Rangers after receiving complaints that the paramilitary force is not complying with its directives to allow families of detained suspects to meet them at Mitha Ram sub-jail.

"There are growing complaints that despite the directives of this court, the superintendent of the Mitha Ram sub-jail is not allowing the petitioners to meet the suspects kept there," remarked a two-judge bench during the hearing of a missing persons' case on Thursday.

The bench, comprising justices Ahmed Ali M Sheikh and Syed Muhammad Farooq Shah, was hearing the petition of Saba Mirza, who alleged that the sub-jail officials were not allowing her to see her husband, Mirza Zeeshan Baig, despite the court's directives.

She had taken the provincial home secretary, the provincial chiefs of the paramilitary force and the police and the Mobina Town police SHO to court over the alleged illegal detention of her husband. She claimed that the Rangers personnel had taken away her husband from their residence on January 2. Ever since, his whereabouts were not known to the family.

Earlier this month, the Rangers had informed an anti-terrorism court that Zeeshan had been placed in 90-day detention over allegations of target killing and extortion.

During Thursday's proceedings, Saba told the judges that the court had directed the Mitha Ram sub-jail authorities to allow her to meet her detained husband as per the jail manual.

When approached, she claimed, the sub-jail officials did not allow the meeting despite the fact that they were presented a copy of the court's directive. Saba pleaded the court direct the authorities to comply with the court directives and allow her to meet her husband.

The judges observed that there were growing complaints that the Mitha Raim sub-jail authorities were not complying with the court's directives and told the Rangers DG to make sure they allow Saba to meet her husband. Disposing of the plea with this directives, the judges also instructed the Rangers law officer, Shahbaz, to send a copy of the order to the Rangers DG and to submit a compliance report.

Official vehicle

The same bench also directed the police IG to submit a report regarding the use of an official vehicle in which a citizen was allegedly taken away. The IG will submit the report by October 1.

The petitioner, Miandad, had approached the court, alleging that his son, Muhammad Iqbal, was taken away when he had gone to the mosque on June 25. According to residents, armed men belonging to the law enforcement agencies had taken Iqbal away in a Vigo (registration number SP-0021).

 JIT for missing travel agent

The same bench also directed the focal person of the provincial home department to constitute a joint investigation team to probe into the alleged unlawful detention of Jameel Ahmed. Ahmed's wife, Kausar, had approached the high court, pleading to seek his whereabouts. She said her husband, who works for Labbaik travel agency, had left home for his office on July 30 but had not returned.

The judges were informed that a kidnaping case was also registered at the Artillery Maidan police station, but so far there was no clue of the missing person.

Adjourning the hearing, the bench directed the home department's focal person to constitute a committee to investigate into the matter and submit a progress report within two weeks.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2015.