Illegal detention: Police told to register case against Rangers colonel, subordinates

Petitioner Shakir Umer alleges that he was illegally detained and tortured.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC)ordered the police on Tuesday to register a case against a colonel, deputy superintendent and a sub-inspector of the Pakistan Rangers, if a cognisable offence was committed by them.

Justice Ghulam Sarwar Korai, who headed the bench, passed this direction on a businessman’s plea seeking registration of case regarding his unlawful detention and torture against Colonel Aftab, DSR Bashir Bhatti and SI Amjad Ali of the Rangers Wing-71.

Shakir Umer, the petitioner, had taken the Rangers’ officials along with the federal interior secretary, Sindh police chief, station house officers of the Quaidabad and Sukkan police and a private person, Shahid Aleem, to court.

He told the judges that he had sold livestock worth Rs5.5 million to Shahid Aleem some time ago. When he demanded the money, Aleem allegedly harassed him and got him 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 Rangers DG take notice of his subordinates’ conduct and take disciplinary action.

A court direction was also sought for police chief to order registration of case regarding petitioner’s illegal detention and torture against Rangers Colonel Aftab, DSR Bashir Bhatti and SI Amjad Ali.

While disposing of the plea, the two-judges on Tuesday directed the concerned police station’s head to get registered the petitioner’s statement and register a case, if any cognisable offence is made by the Rangers officials.



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