Law and order: SC wants details on political interference in police

Suo motu action initiated on claims that businessman reversed SSP’s suspension

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) has issued notices to the provincial chief secretary, the home secretary and the provincial police chief to file their comments regarding alleged political interference in police force in Karachi, where two high-profile incidents of crime, including kidnapping of the provincial chief justice’s son and qawwal Amjad Sabri’s murder have been committed within two days.

The apex court has summoned these authorities to appear with their reports at SC Karachi Registry Branch on July, where a full bench, headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali will take up the matter.

CJP Jamali had taken suo motu notice on media reports regarding alleged political interference into the affairs of the police in Karachi, where two high-profile incidents had taken place last week.

Judicial sources said that the Supreme Court judge, Justice Amir Hani Muslim, had prepared a note to initiate proceedings on the issue based on a news report. While taking suo motu notice, the CJP Jamali converted the note into a constitutional petition and fixed July 4 as the date for hearing.

On June 20, the son of the Sindh High Court Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah was kidnapped outside a busy superstore in the high-security neighbourhood of Clifton. Unknown masked men drove Barrister Ovais Ali Shah in a white car, having a number plate apparently registered in the name of Sindh Police. Two days later, qawwal Amjad Sabri was shot dead by unknown armed motorcyclists in Liaquatabad No. 10.

The high-profile kidnapping still remain a mystery, as the police and Rangers have failed to ascertain the whereabouts of the kidnapped lawyer despite the lapse of 10 days.

CJP Jamali took suo motu notice on news reports regarding alleged interference of a businessman, who has close ties with the Pakistan Peoples Party leadership. The reports claimed that the businessman managed to get SSP South Dr Muhammad Farooq Ahmed restored after he was suspended over the high-profile kidnapping of the Sindh High Court Chief Justice’s son last week.

Following the high-profile kidnapping, Sindh chief minister Qasim Ali Shah transferred South SSP Dr Muhammad Farooq Ahmad on June 22. Clifton SP Amjad Hayat was also transferred back to the headquarters and made ‘officer on special duty’.

Merely two days later, an influential businessman of Karachi, allegedly known for his close association with the top PPP leadership, used political clout to get the transferred officer, SSP Ahmed, restored as East SSP.

The report further claimed that Sindh IG AD Khawaja had resisted the move to restore a suspended SSP but the top political leadership pressurised the chief minister and the police chief into reversing the suspension orders. The businessman, who is believed to be playing the role of a frontman, wanted SSP Ahmed to serve as East SSP whereas he proposed the name of Nasir Aftab to serve as the new South SSP, the report stated.

Despite showing resistance, Sindh IG was directed by the CM House to withdraw his June 22 notification. On June 24, the IG office issued an order for the withdrawal of its earlier notification and restored Dr Farooq as South SSP.

Karachi suo motu

The full bench, which also comprises justices Amir Hani Muslim and Khilji Arif Hussain, will also resume hearings on the implementation of the suo motu proceedings regarding violence in Karachi.

The apex court has, therefore, issued to the federal and provincial authorities in connection with the Karachi law and order suo motu implementation proceedings set to resume from July 4.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 1^st, 2016.