SHC calls for law officers’ comments on a petition against unlawful detention

The detained man’s brother claims the prisoner served his sentence but isn’t being freed.

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has summoned the federal and provincial law officers as well as Karachi Central Jail’s superintendent for allegedly detaining a prisoner who has served the sentence a military court had awarded him.

The judges also called for the jail records of the prisoner, Nazar Mohammad, by July 25. His brother, Akbar Ali, had filed a petition in the high court, seeking his release.

He said that Nazar Mohammad had been working as a plumber at the engineering services department of Chhor Cantonment, Umerkot, since 1995. On June 7, 2010, military intelligence personnel took Nazar Mohammad into custody while he was on duty at the cantonment and he had been missing since then, said Ali.



After the high court’s chief justice took notice on the request of the missing man’s wife, the deputy attorney general revealed to the court that Nazar Mohammad was detained by the MI-945 Unit. He had been charged with espionage and engaging in anti-state activities. Later, he faced the general field court martial at the military court, was convicted and then sent to prison.

On Thursday Ali told the judges that, according to his knowledge, his brother had served the sentence the military court had awarded to him. But the authorities at the Karachi Central Jail have been reluctant to release Nazar Mohammad and confined him illegally, claimed Ali. He made a plea to the court to order the jail authorities set his brother free.



Headed by Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh, the bench sent notices to the deputy attorney general, provincial advocate general and Karachi Central Jail’s superintendent, telling them to file their comments by July 25. The bench also called for the prisoner’s jail records.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2013.