Illegal detention?: SHC seeks whereabouts of MQM activists

Rangers personnel had detained around nine suspects from different areas of the city

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices to the provincial director-general of Rangers and others to file comments regarding the alleged detention of nine activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), over allegations of forcibly collecting donations during the month of Ramazan.

A division bench directed the deputy attorney general and the provincial advocate general to submit reports by the federal and provincial law enforcement agencies by July 23.

The two judges were hearing a petition seeking the whereabouts of nine persons, who the paramilitary troopers had arrested from different parts of the city over allegations of forcibly collecting donations ahead of Eidul Fitr.

The court was told by the petitioner that Rangers personnel had detained Muhammad Ismail, Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Naeem, Muhammad Hashim, Khalid Khan, Ziaur Rehman, Ahmed Siddiqui, Abdul Qadir and Javed during raids conducted in different parts of the city between July 2 and July 4.

Relatives of the alleged detainees stated that the police were not divulging any information about these men, while the Rangers were also not sharing any information about their whereabouts.

This situation has worried the families, who have serious apprehensions that the lives of the detained persons may be in danger, the judges were informed. The court was pleaded to order the Rangers to disclose the whereabouts of the detained persons and produce them in the court of law.

The court issued notices to the Rangers DG, police IG and SHOs of the relevant police stations to file their response to the allegations leveled in the petition against them by July 23.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10^th, 2015.