SHC seeks progress report from Sindh police in missing person’s case

Petitioner says Sachal police abducted, murdered a citizen when bribe wasn't paid

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) sought a progress report on Monday pertaining to the alleged fake police encounter in Sachal and a man who had gone missing there. A two-member bench, comprising Justice Aftab Ahmed and Justice Amjad Ali, was hearing the petition filed by Amal Khan.

The police submitted a report in court, according to which, the search for the missing person, Ghufran, was under way. A final challan of the case will be presented after the details of Ghufran are found. The petition had also maintained that the police officers had termed a citizen, Saadullah, a terrorist and murdered him over failure to pay the demanded bribe.

"The police officers, DSP Mukhtar and inspector Asmatullah Marwat, who demanded a Rs10 million bribe, murdered my son after abduction," said the petition. The other son, Ghufran had gone missing after the non-payment of the bribe, it further read.

The petition requested for registering a case of murder and abduction against the police. The court sought a progress report on the matter from the police by March 22.

Appeals against sentence rejected

The same bench dismissed appeals on Monday of two accused, Asghar and Fateh, in a case of extortion and murder of a trader and ordered sustaining their punishments awarded by a special anti-terrorism court.

The court also acquitted accused Yaseen Gulzar after he had served nine years imprisonment.

According to police, the accused had demanded Rs500,000 extortion money from a trader, Sohrab Khan, within the jurisdiction of the Pakistan Bazar Police Station in 2010 and murdered him over non-payment.

A special anti-terrorism court found them guilty and had awarded lifetime imprisonment to both the accused.

Complaint against lawyers

The SHC received a complaint letter on Monday from an accountability court judge, Fareed Anwar Qazi, which said that lawyers had entered his chamber and misbehaved and threatened him. It requested the Chief Justice (CJ) of SHC to grant permission for registering a case against the lawyers namely Naeem Qureshi, Hafeez Baloch and Advocate Amir Nawaz Warraich including others. "I myself want to get a case registered against the lawyers as they had not only misbehaved but also tried to attack," read the complaint letter.



The SHC sources have confirmed receiving the letter and said that it will be reviewed according to law.

SESSI corruption

The SHC rejected the interim bail on Monday of three Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI) officers in the Rs250 million corruption reference. A two-member bench, comprising CJ Ahmed Ali Sheikh and Justice Omar Sial, heard the Rs250m corruption done by SESSI employees in purchase of medicines. The interim bail of three accused including Dr Aslam Pervaiz Memon, Arif Khalil and Tauseef Ahmed was rejected. The court remarked that evidence of corruption against accused was present, hence the bail could not be extended.

Meanwhile, the bail of SESSI Commissioner Farooq Laghari was extended. According to the NAB, corruption was done in purchase of Hepatitis C medicines. 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2019.