Zada said his immediate family had been earning their livelihood as daily wagers at a brick kiln. PHOTO: FILE.
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday directed the police to recover 17 people, including women and children, allegedly held in illegal custody at a brick kiln.
A division bench comprising PHC Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Qaisar Rashid issued the orders while hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Sharif Zada, a resident of Charsadda, through his counsel Naveed-ur-Rehman.
Zada said his immediate family and the families of his brother and son-in-law had been earning their livelihood as daily wagers at a brick kiln owned by Abdul Rehman in Shobala, Telaband for the past eight months.
He added Rehman had loaned them Rs160,000 (Rs53,334 for each family). “He (Rehman) deducts Rs2,000 from each labourer and a total of Rs64,000 has been returned.”
However, the petitioner alleged Rehman later raised the debt amount to Rs0.66 million (Rs0.23 million per family) and also forced them to bring their children to work. “We are detained and cannot visit doctors or relatives. Security guards have been told to shoot those who attempt to escape,” he claimed.
Upon this, the bench summoned SHO of Urmarh police station, directing him to recover the 17 detainees within 24 hours and produce them before the court today (Wednesday).
Published in The Express Tribune, June 12th, 2013.
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