Notices issued to Rangers DG, interior secretary

Respondents to file comments on whereabouts of missing persons by March 1

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) sought on Thursday detailed reports from the interior secretary, the provincial director-general of the Rangers, the inspector-general of police and others on petitions seeking the whereabouts of missing persons.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto, fixed the hearing for such matters on March 1.

These directives came on identical petitions seeking the whereabouts of more than seven citizens who were allegedly taken into custody by law enforcement agencies from different parts of the city.

A petitioner, Muhammad Aslam, told the judges that his son, Muhammad Faisal, went missing six years ago. He alleged that law enforcement personnel took away his son, but his whereabouts were not being disclosed to the family till today. Faisal is not involved in any criminal activity, the father claimed.

He pleaded to the court to direct the interior ministry, the Rangers DG, Sindh IG and others to recover his son and produce him in a court of law if he was involved in any criminal activity.



Advocate Lateef Pasha, who represented the family of two other missing persons, told the court that Zeeshan Baloch and Usman were taken into custody by law enforcement agencies' personnel in 2013. He said their families had approached the police and other law enforcement agencies to seek information about the alleged missing persons, but the officials did not entertain their pleas.

The lawyer claimed that provincial home department had constituted seven joint investigation teams to probe into the matter, but they failed to make any progress. He pleaded to the court to order the federal and provincial authorities concerned to make efforts for the recovery of the missing men.

The judges directed the interior ministry and provincial home department to take steps for the early recovery of Baloch and Usman and submit compliance reports to the court.

In the meantime, the bench also issued notices to the interior ministry, Rangers DG, Sindh IG and others on petitions seeking recovery of citizens Saifullah, Mirajuddin, Ali Haider and others. It further directed federal and provincial law officers to submit comments of the authorities concerned by March 1.