Rangers, police told to refrain from taking illegal action

Shakir Umer had gone to court against former Rangers personnel for illegal detention, torture.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has ordered the Rangers and police officials not to take any action contrary to the law against a businessman who accused the former personnel of the paramilitary force of torturing him during unlawful detention.

The petitioner, Shakir Umer, had gone to the court against the federal interior secretary, Sindh IG, station house officers of the Quaidabad and Sukkan police, Colonel Aftab and his subordinates Amjad Ali and DSR Bashir posted at the Rangers Wing 71, and Shahid Aleem.

Umer said that he had sold livestock to Aleem, worth Rs5.5 million some time ago. When he demanded money, Aleem allegedly harassed him and got Umer illegally detained through Rangers Colonel Aftab. During the unlawful confinement, the petitioner was subjected to torture, which is against the legal and constitutional norms, the petitioner’s lawyer, Faisal Sial, contended.



He pleaded to the court to direct the federal interior ministry and DG Rangers take notice of his subordinates’ conduct and take disciplinary action. He also sought a direction for police high-ups to register a criminal case against the Rangers personnel for illegally detaining and torturing him.

Issuing notice to all of them along with the Sindh advocate general, the bench headed by Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh, ordered the police and Rangers officials not to take any action in violation of the law against the petitioner.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 17^th, 2013.