The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday sought a progress report about the whereabouts of 18 missing children from Sindh police. A high court bench headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto, was hearing a case pertaining to missing children. Police produced in the court 11-year-old Hasnain whose whereabouts had been unknown to his family for the past 18 months. A police officer told the bench that the child had ran away from his home to escape from his studies and parents’ punishment. The child’s father informed the bench that the boy got infuriated at being slapped by his mother and left the house. However, the child, contradicting the police as well as his father’s account, said some people whisked him away from outside his house and detained him in a house. Censuring the police over their faulty investigation, Justice Phulpoto questioned why they didn’t grill the owner of the house where the child was kept. Towards the end, the bench directed the police to submit a report on 18 children who had gone missing during the past one month. It instructed the provincial police chief to take personally the matter. Published in Daily Times, March 22nd 2019.