Military releases three suspects, SHC told

They were acquitted of facilitating Safoora Goth attack

KARACHI: Three suspects, who were acquitted by the military court of charges of facilitating the Safoora Goth carnage, have been set free by the military authorities, the Sindh High Court (SHC) was informed on Thursday.

This statement came in a letter produced by the Judge Advocate-General (JAG) branch of the army in a matter relating to alleged unlawful detention of suspects. The former deputy-director of the Fishermen Cooperative Society, Sultan Qamar Siddiqui, and his younger brother, Muhammad Hussain Siddiqui, and another person, Naeem Sajid, were arrested on allegations of facilitating the Islamic State-inspired group of youths, who were responsible for killing around 45 members of the Ismaili community in May, 2015.



Five accused were sentenced to death by a military court.

Hira Siddiqui had moved an application seeking the release of her husband, Sultan, and brother-in-law, who were handed over to the army, following the transfer of their trial from an anti-terrorism court (ATC) to a military court setup under the 21st Amendment.

The families of the Siddiqui brothers and Sajid had approached the court, saying it had come to their knowledge that the men had been found to be not involved in facilitating the executioners of attack.

The court had been requested to order the authorities to release the detainees, who were said to have been kept in inhumane living conditions and are suffering from ailments.

During Thursday's proceedings, the petitioner's lawyer, Khawaja Shamsul Islam and federal law officer presented a letter of the military's JAG branch, which stated that the three men had been freed from the military authorities' custody following acquittal in the Safoora Goth trial.



The lawyer informed the court that the Siddiqui brothers and Sajid had also been granted bail in a case registered against them under the Arms Act. In view of the statement made by the petitioner's lawyer as well as the federal law officer, the bench took the letter on record and adjourned the hearing. Advocate Islam later told reporters that the petition has not been disposed of yet, as he will plead for an order against the police for unlawfully detaining the three men and will seek compensation.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2016.