‘Dr Asim arrested without Sindh govt’s consent’

KARACHI:

Rangers did not seek the Sindh government’s permission before arresting Dr Asim Hussain, the province’s chief law officer told the Sindh High Court on Wednesday.

“No orders to detain Dr Asim under Section 11EEEE of the Anti-Terrorism Act were issued,” Sindh Advocate-General Abdul Fatah Malik told the court.

He said that although Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah had extended the paramilitary force’s stay in the province for 60 more days through an executive order, the move has yet to be formally approved by the Sindh Assembly. “Under these circumstances, Dr Asim’s detention is unlawful,” he added.

Malik’s arguments prompted the bench to ask why the Sindh government, if it believed the Rangers were staying in the province illegally, did not ask the paramilitary force to leave.

On the other hand, Additional Attorney General Salman Talibuddin, representing the federation, argued that the Rangers could lawfully detain any person suspected of involvement in terrorist acts for up to three months.

“This period can be extended if the Rangers want to interrogate a suspect further,” he said, adding that in Dr Hussain’s case, there was incriminating evidence proving he had facilitated criminals. When asked by the court to present the evidence, Talibuddin said the centre would do so only if there is in-camera proceedings.

The bench, hearing arguments from both sides, adjourned the matter till October 27.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2015.