Under-trial prisoner: Bench refuses to hear Ajmal Pahari’s transfer plea
He was shifted to Sukkur prison without any reason, says wife.
PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
KARACHI:
A Sindh High Court (SHC) bench refused on Wednesday to hear a petition seeking the transfer of an under-trial prisoner identified as Muhammad Ajmal alias Ajmal Pahari from the Sukkur prison to Karachi Central Jail.
The division bench, comprising justices Ahmed Ali M Sheikh and Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro, referred the matter to the SHC Chief Justice Faisal Arab to assign the petition to another bench to hear and decide the plea.
Fouzia Hussain, the wife of the prisoner, had requested the court order the home and prison authorities to shift her husband back to Karachi from Sukkur. The petitioner, who had named the home secretary, prisons IG, and the superintendent of Sukkur Central Jail as respondents, alleged that the authorities had shifted Ajmal Pahari out of the city without giving any reasons.
She said that her husband's life might be in danger and pleaded the court order the prison authorities to bring him back to Karachi. Earlier, Karachi Central Jail's superintendent had informed the judges that Ajmal Pahari was shifted out of the city with permission from the former SHC Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar, as there were threats of a prison attack.
During Wednesday's proceedings, the petitioner repeated her request to bring her husband back to Karachi, arguing that it was not possible for her to travel to Sukkur to meet him all the time. This led to a rare remark from one of the bench members, who reportedly said that the law and order situation in Karachi cannot be allowed to worsen.
Refusing to hear the plea any more, the two judges referred the matter to the SHC CJ to assign the petition to another bench.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 2nd, 2015.
A Sindh High Court (SHC) bench refused on Wednesday to hear a petition seeking the transfer of an under-trial prisoner identified as Muhammad Ajmal alias Ajmal Pahari from the Sukkur prison to Karachi Central Jail.
The division bench, comprising justices Ahmed Ali M Sheikh and Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro, referred the matter to the SHC Chief Justice Faisal Arab to assign the petition to another bench to hear and decide the plea.
Fouzia Hussain, the wife of the prisoner, had requested the court order the home and prison authorities to shift her husband back to Karachi from Sukkur. The petitioner, who had named the home secretary, prisons IG, and the superintendent of Sukkur Central Jail as respondents, alleged that the authorities had shifted Ajmal Pahari out of the city without giving any reasons.
She said that her husband's life might be in danger and pleaded the court order the prison authorities to bring him back to Karachi. Earlier, Karachi Central Jail's superintendent had informed the judges that Ajmal Pahari was shifted out of the city with permission from the former SHC Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar, as there were threats of a prison attack.
During Wednesday's proceedings, the petitioner repeated her request to bring her husband back to Karachi, arguing that it was not possible for her to travel to Sukkur to meet him all the time. This led to a rare remark from one of the bench members, who reportedly said that the law and order situation in Karachi cannot be allowed to worsen.
Refusing to hear the plea any more, the two judges referred the matter to the SHC CJ to assign the petition to another bench.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 2nd, 2015.