HYDERABAD: While most cases of “enforced disappearances” are credited to the intelligence agencies, the Sindh High Court has formed a committee to probe police officials over allegations of picking up two people.
On Friday, the high court’s Hyderabad bench tasked the SSPs of Thatta and Matiari districts and SP Headquarters Hyderabad to investigate the case. The officials will have to submit a report and bring along the missing men on the next hearing date, September 24. The petition was filed on September 2.
Justices Munib Akhtar and Riazat Ali Sahar were hearing the plea filed by Imam Bux Mari, the brother of one of the missing men, Ali Hassan Mari. Ali and his relative, Pandhi Mari, went missing on August 25. They live in the Tando Allahyar district. The two men are in police custody and they may be killed, alleged Imam’s lawyer, Ayatollah Khwaja.
“They are wanted in a kidnapping case of two Hindus, but have not been arrested yet,” said the SSP Tando Allahyar, Khalid Mustafa Korai, denying any knowledge of the men’s whereabouts. He argued that the matter was brought to the court to save the suspects.
Korai remained silent, however, when Khwaja questioned why the men have not been nominated in the FIR of the kidnapping.
SSP Korai has personal enmity with the Mari family, the petitioner pleaded.
The police official was also rebuked by Justice Akhtar when he intervened to answer a question the judge had asked Additional DIG Sikandar Mangi. “We want at least ten days,” he had interjected.
Talking to the press later, the SSP alleged that the two men were part of Dr Daud Gishkori’s group, which is infamous for kidnappings around Sindh. “They are demanding Rs200 million for the release of the Hindus kidnapped,” he added.
Besides Mangi and Korai, five SHOs from Tando Allahyar also recorded their statements.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 15th, 2012.
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