Missing persons: Family of acquitted suspects appeal to court

Four petitions ask for the whereabouts of the men.

KARACHI: The suspects who were acquitted of terrorism charges, including attacking the American consulate, have been missing since December 11.

Hearing four constitutional petitions by the missing persons’ families, the Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices to the respondents for January 7.

Sharib Arsalan Farooqui, who was accused of attacking former president Pervez Musharraf and the US Consulate in Karachi, was acquitted of these charges. His mother, Rukhsana Farhat, submitted a petition and cited Sindh home secretary, IG Police, DIG Investigations, DIG CID, ISI, MI and Rangers Director General as respondents.

She submitted that on December 11, she was at her residence in Surjani Town along with her family when around 9 pm, 10 to 12 men in plainclothes forced their way into the house and whisked Sharib away.

She believes that these men belonged to intelligence agencies. She has informed the chief justice of the SHC, Surjani Town police and other officials about the incident but she has yet to find out why her son was arrested and where he is being detained.

She requested the authorities to order the respondents not to kill her son and to present him in court.

Meanwhile, the wife of suspect Sohail Akhter, who was also acquitted of terrorism charges, has also filed a petition. She submitted that her husband was picked up by a group of men on December 11 from Baldia Town.

Similarly, the relatives of Arsalan Masood Khan and Ammar Abbasi have also petitioned the courts, in which they have nominated the police officers of their areas and intelligence officials as respondents.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2011.