Association with Dr Mirza: Judge recuses himself from Sindh IG contempt case

SHC bench warns alleged contemnors to be present in court in future

KARACHI: The formal trial of IG Ghulam Haider Jamali and other senior police officers on contempt charges could not be initiated as another Sindh High Court (SHC) judge disassociated himself from the case citing his personal relationship with Dr Zulfiqar Mirza.

SHC Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah had constituted a new bench, comprising Justices Munib Akhtar and Muhammad Karim Khan Agha to hear the matter that the previous bench had declined to further proceed on as the top cop had expressed ‘no confidence’ in the bench which had formally framed contempt of court charges.

At the outset of Tuesday’s proceedings, the judges expressed annoyance over the IG’s initial absence from the proceedings. All the alleged contemnors were present in court, except SSP South Capt (retd) Muhammad Asad, SP Saddar Division Raees Abdul Ghani and SP Liaquatabad Tahir Ahmed.



Requests were made on behalf of the SSP, SP Tahir and SP Ghani to condone their absence over various reasons, which the judges approved.

The bench cautioned the alleged contemnors, who are senior police officers, to be present in court. “In future, their absence when the matter is taken up at first call may not be excused,” they warned.

The bench adjourned the hearing till February 17.

Case history

The SHC had initiated contempt of court proceedings against the province’s top cop and nine other senior officers, after a siege on the buildings of the anti-terrorism court and high court during which supporters of former home minister Mirza were tortured, along with journalists, by masked police commandos last May.

Those who have been indicted for contempt include IG Jamali, former Karachi police chief Additional IG Ghulam Qadir Thebo, DIG South Dr Jamil Ahmed, DIG West Feroze Shah, SSP Asad, officer in-charge of the Special Security Unit SSP Major (retd) Saleem, AIG (Legal) Faisal Bashir Memon, SSP City Fida Hussain Janwari, SP Saddar Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqui, former SP Saddar Raees Abdul Ghani, SP Headquarters (West) Tahir Noorani and Sub-Inspector Jehangir Mahar.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2016.