Sulaiman Lashari's murder: SHC issues notices to home secy, police chief

Why shouldn't court initiate contempt proceedings, bench asks.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued on Monday show-cause notices to the provincial home secretary and the police chief to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for failing to provide security to the family of a slain student, Sulaiman Lashari.

A division bench, headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, summoned the home secretary and the police chief on April 28 with their written replies.

Sulaiman, a student of O' Levels, was shot dead on May 8, 2014, while he was studying at his house in Defence Housing Authority. Police claimed that the main accused, Salman Abro, had come to the victim's house, along with five police constables, to settle an argument.

The victim's family approached the high court with complaints of threats to their lives. Sulaiman's father, Ghulam Mustafa Lashari, complained of receiving constant threats from the key accused's father, Ghulam Sarwar Abro, who is serving as an SSP of the Police Training Centre in Sakrand.

He informed that the high court had on May 20, 2014, ordered the home secretary and the police authorities to provide security to him and his family members. The home secretary, the police IG and their subordinates were informed about the court's directives but they failed to implement the  order, he said. This is tantamount to wilfully and deliberately committing contempt of the court, his lawyer argued.

The court was pleaded to initiate contempt proceedings against the respondents. Taking serious note of the alleged contemnors attitude, the SHC bench issued show-cause notices to the home secretary and the police IG to appear with written explanation as to why contempt proceedings may not be initiated against them for alleged non-compliance of the court's orders passed earlier.

The bench will take up the matter on April 28.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 28^th, 2015.