Uzair Baloch’s wife approaches court to meet husband

SHC issues notices to authorities, asks for comments to be filed on petition seeking permission for the meeting

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued on Wednesday notices to the federal and provincial authorities on a petition seeking directions for the Rangers to allow the meeting of the detained Lyari gang warfare leader, Uzair Baloch, with his family.

Headed by Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh, the division bench directed the federal and provincial law officers to file comments of the relevant authorities by February 22.



Samina Uzair had approached the court days after the Rangers detained her husband and obtained his physical remand from the SHC's administrative judge for the Anti-Terrorism Courts. The petitioner said her husband's father, Faiz Mohammad Baloch, was kidnapped and murdered by the militant wing of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and gangster Arshad Pappu. When Uzair tried to register an FIR of his father's murder, he was booked in a false case, she added. Samina maintained that her husband had gained popularity, which, according to her, was not acceptable to the Pakistan Peoples Party leadership, due to his opposition to the nomination of Owais Muzaffar as an MNA from Lyari.

The petitioner stated that the PPP had joined hands with the MQM to eliminate Peoples Amn Committee and its leadership and her husband was booked in several cases. The judges were informed that while the Sindh government later withdrew the cases, her husband left the country for the sake of his life.

The petitioner recalled that later the federal government issued red warrants for Uzair's arrest without adopting due legal process. Therefore, Uzair was arrested at Dubai airport on December 27, 2014, while he was travelling with his family to Muscat.



Advocate Saifey Ali Khan said the petitioner had not seen her husband ever since, adding that she only saw him on the media on January 30 during his production before the anti-terrorism court. The court was pleaded to direct the Rangers to allow the petitioner, her mother-in-law and other family members to meet Uzair, who is detained at Mitharam Hostel sub-jail. The court was also requested to order the Rangers to arrange medical facilities for the detainee. Also, it was requested to allow the lawyer's meeting with Uzair on a weekly basis to obtain instructions from him.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th,  2016.