Maintaining uniformity: Provincial govt asked to submit policy regarding security provision

Court gives four weeks to govt to come up with documented policy

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed on Wednesday the provincial government to submit a policy regarding the provision of security to politicians and others receiving death threats.

Headed by Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, the bench gave four weeks to the government to come up with a documented policy regarding the matter on the next hearing. The court was hearing a petition filed by former MNA Nabil Gabol.

At the outset of the hearing, an additional advocate-general told the judges that the government would make a policy for providing security to the citizens as well as politicians and to the persons receiving threats but, for this reason, he requested the court to allow some time.

Gabol had approached the SHC in August, 2015, for provision of security when he parted ways with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and levelled serious allegations against its founder for extending death threats to him. He had claimed that he was apprehending danger from the MQM since he left the party.

He submitted that he was attacked several times in the past and was again being threatened after he left the MQM.

“The security provided to me has been withdrawn,” he said, adding that only four police personnel were deployed at his residence, who performed duties round the clock and took weekly days off. According to him, he and his family were under threat due to the withdrawal of the police escort.

His lawyer contended that Faryal Talpur and Anwar Majeed were given a high-level police escort because of their relations with former president Asif Ali Zardari. He said that his client should be given the same since he had served as a national lawmaker.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2016.