Daily Times

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued notices to provincial home secretary and chiefs of Rangers and police, seeking their respective replies on petitions seeking whereabouts of missing persons.

The SHC bench, headed by Justice Syed Muhammad Farooq Shah, was hearing the petitions filed for the recovery of missing men, Syed Faraz Asghar and Shaheen Jan. The petitions were filed by the relatives of the missing persons, who moved the court against the law enforcement agencies (LEA) for allegedly picking up their loved one.

Shabana, the mother of missing Syed Faraz Asghar, submitted that her son went to market for shopping on January 17, 2017, but did not return. She added that the family members tried their best to locate the whereabouts of her son, but were unable to find him. “We approached all concerned police stations and rescue sources, including Edhi and other NGOs to trace Faraz, but to no avail,” the mother of missing person informed the judges.

Separately, Farzana, who is the wife of missing Shaheen Jan, informed the court that some police personnel in uniform as well as in plainclothes raided their house and took her spouse Shaheen and brother-in-law Shahbaz with them on 1st December 2016.

“The law enforcers, later released Shahbaz, but my husband is still in their custody, which they are denying. We are searching for Shaheen since the day of his arrest but are not being informed anything about him,” she added.

Citing Sindh’s Rangers Director General, Police Inspector General and home secretary as respondents, the petitioners prayed the court to direct the respondents to produce the detainees before the court. After the initial hearing, the court issued notices to deputy attorney general, advocate general Sindh and respondents to file their comments within two weeks.