Mirza claims his security escort was removed on the directions of Zardari, Faryal Talpur. PHOTO: RASHID AJMERI/EXPRESS
A division bench, comprising justices Sajjad Ali Shah and Syed Saeeduddin Nasir, reserved the verdict after the provincial home and police authorities submitted their replies claiming that Mirza and his family enjoyed adequate state security.
Last week, Mirza had taken the Sindh chief secretary, home secretary, Sindh IG, Badin SSP and his subordinates to court for withdrawing his security escort, allegedly at the behest of PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari.
Mirza said that he had served as home minister from 2008 to 2011 while his wife, Dr Fehmida Mirza, is currently an MNA and his son, Barrister Hasnain Mirza, is a member of the Sindh Assembly. His lawyer, Ashraf Samon, said that the provincial government had provided security to the petitioner and his family through the Badin and Karachi security SSPs due to threats to their lives. He added that on April 21, Badin SSP Khalid Mustafa Korai and his line officer, Ashiq Ali Memon, tried to remove police guards from Mirza's Badin residence.
"It has come to the knowledge of the petitioner that the deployed security guards of the police department had been withdrawn by the [chief secretary] and his officials on the verbal orders of Zardari and MNA Faryal Talpur," the lawyer claimed.
On the same day, Karachi security SSP Usman Bajwa had also called back the security guards from the petitioner's residence in Karachi, apparently, according to the lawyer, on the directions of the provincial government, which received verbal directives from Zardari and Talpur.
Mirza claimed that he had spoken to the media about corruption in the Sindh government and the PPP leadership, leading the government to withdraw the security guards.
On April 23, the bench had issued notices to the chief and home secretaries and Sindh IG with directions to give adequate security to the petitioner and his family as entitled under the law.
During Tuesday's proceedings, advocate general Abdul Fateh Malik filed a report on behalf of the provincial authorities, maintaining that the petitioner and his family had been given four security guards. He denied Mirza's allegations that the security escort was withdrawn on the orders of Zardari and Talpur.
Mirza's lawyer, however, contended that Malik's report was vague and false. Samon said that the relevant authorities were informed about the earlier order but they had so far failed to implement it, making them liable to be prosecuted for committing contempt of the court's directives.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the two judges reserved their order on the petition.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2015.
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