JIT on missing persons asked to convene twice a month

SHC admonishes home department, police for showing no progress

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday ordered the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on missing persons to meet twice a month.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto heard the petitions related to the recovery of 13 missing persons including a girl.

The court was angry with the police and the Sindh Home Department for the non-recovery of the missing people.

“Families of the missing persons are in distress and no one cares about them,” Justice Phulpoto remarked. “Home Secretary should show some progress instead of sitting in office otherwise he would be summoned in the courtroom and made to stand in the dock.

The Sindh IG should also check the performance of the police officers,” Justice Phulpoto remarked while talking to the representative of the Sindh government. The court remarked that the families of the missing persons directly blame the institutions.

The Federal Home Secretary should get reports from his subordinate institutions and submit them. The court ordered effective measures for the recovery of Zafar Iqbal, Azhar Abbas and others.

The petitioner’s counsel submitted that the missing girl Bibi Saima has been traced. The police report stated that the missing citizen, Abdul Aziz was wanted by the Korangi police and he has been arrested.

The court disposed of the petitions related to the disappearance of the girl Bibi Saima and Abdul Aziz. Meanwhile, the Sindh High Court has ordered to provide a copy of the response of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) and the Finance Department to the lawyers of the petitioners on the petition related to the restoration of three sewage treatment plants installed in Karachi.

KWSB said in the response that the board has sent a summary to the Sindh government to provide over Rs36 million funds for the restoration of the treatment plant and for PC One. Funds have been requested from the Sindh government for the restoration of STP-3.