SHC rebukes police over missing persons cases

'It appears police are not interested in protecting the lives and properties of citizens'

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court expressed on Thursday annoyance over the 'incompetence and negligence' in a missing persons case and sought the call detail records (CDR) of the mobile phone owned by Muhammad Shafiq, who was allegedly taken away from his residence in 2015.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Nazar Akbar and Justice Abdul Mubeen Lakho, expressed dissatisfaction over the police's performance in missing persons cases and stated that it had to summon the IGP and home secretary due to their "incompetence and negligence."

"It appears the police are not interested in protecting the lives and properties of citizens," rebuked Justice Akbar, adding that various missing persons cases had been pending for five years.

He said that due to the police's incompetence, the court was being criticised by the media for letting culprits go.

The court further admonished the police for submitting the same report multiple times. "It is the 45th time that they have submitted the same report [on the matter]," it censured, adding that a missing persons case had been pending for eight years without any progress.

Addressing the police, Justice Akbar reproached, "You are unable to produce even basic case documents."

Besides, Shafiq's brother told the court that even after Shafiq went missing, the Rangers continued to receive details about his mobile phone's location for a month.At this, the court sought Shafiq's mobile phone records.

Non-payment of salaries

At another hearing, of a plea pertaining to the non-payment of additional salaries to Sindh Assembly members between 2013 and 2018, the petitioner's counsel told the court that his client had not contacted him for the past three years.

"She does not seem interested in pursuing the case," he said, requesting the court to adjourn the hearing, which the court did.

The petitioner had claimed the Sindh government had assured the court that the due amount would be cleared. But a contempt of court plea was filed by former MPAs after their salaries were not released, while existing MPAs continued to receive increments

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st, 2020.