Counsel granted 14 days in harassment case

SHC granted counsel two weeks while hearing the petition filed by former navy employees against alleged harassment.

KARACHI: A division bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) granted the standing counsel two weeks on Thursday while hearing the petition filed by former navy employees against alleged harassment by Naval Intelligence.

Petitioner Ghulam Shabbir submitted that he retired from the navy in 2003. Earlier in 2000, he was called by the Naval Intelligence and harassed and tortured, he said. His counsel Muhammad Bakhsh Awan submitted that the Naval Intelligence officials issued his client a notice to appear and he was detained from March 20 to 25 for interrogation.

It is a violation of Pakistan Navy Ordinance 1961 for navy officials to issue notice to a retired employee who is leading a civilian life, the counsel submitted.

The petitioner and his family lived in fear of being picked up any time, Awan claimed. He appealed to the court to restrain the respondents from frequently calling the petitioner and harassing him.

During the last hearing, Lieutenant Commander of the Pakistan Navy Intelligence stated a committee was constituted by the Chief of Naval Staff to investigate the case. The SHC had directed for a report to be submitted.

On Thursday, standing counsel Shahab Sarki requested that he needed more time to submit the report. The SHC division bench, comprising Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, granted two more weeks and adjourned the hearing.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2010.