Daily Times

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court gave the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) a last chance to come up with their reports explaining the reason for keeping a doctor on terror-watch list for last many years.

Dr Akmal Waheed was listed on the Fourth Schedule of Anti-Terrorism Act for allegedly having links to the proscribed Jundullah outfit. He was accused of bankrolling and harbouring terrorists of the banned outfit, whereas his brother, Dr Arshad Waheed was reportedly killed in a US drone attack in South Waziristan.

Dr Akmal had petitioned the high court for removal of his name from the Fourth Schedule.

During hearing, Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, who headed a two-member bench, observed, “Only as an indulgence and last chance in order to provide an opportunity for disposal of the case on merits we are granting two weeks time at the request the provincial law officer for filing response of the two agencies which is still awaited.”

The petitioner’s counsel contended that the authorities without collecting significant material with respect to his client’s links to banned outfits placed him on IV-Schedule, putting restrictions on his free movement. He was neither involved in any terrorist activities nor he had any links to any banned outfit.

Dr Akmal was tried and exonerated of terrorist charges, yet he was placed on the IV-Schedule due to his suspected links to the banned Jindullah.

In 2010, he was arrested by UAE authorities due to his affiliation with proscribed organization. He remained confined there for two years before he was deported in 2012.

Subsequently, he was booked for leaving country without permission of the authorities since he was on the terror-watch list.

Meanwhile, the bench issued notices to home secretary, provincial police chief and Rangers director general and other official respondents on a petition seeking whereabouts of a missing police constable.

Petitioner Shamim Begum submitted that her spouse Mir Ahmed was had been missing since December 10, 2012 but the law enforcement agencies had been unable to trace him.

She said she had registered an FIR regarding her missing husband at Civil Line police station and written applications to high-ups to seek information about him but all in vain.

She complained that after her husband went missing she would get his salary for 11 months which was later stopped by the police department, leaving the family of constable in the lurch. It was hard for her to bring up her four children in these times without money, she lamented.

The woman requested the judges to issue directives for the authorities concerned to locate his missing husband and produce him in court.