KARACHI: The kidnapping of Advocate Awais Ali Shah, the son of the Sindh High Court chief justice, kept the security administration on its toes on Tuesday as the provincial authorities held a high-level meeting to decide a course of probe into the high-profile case, set up an investigation team and announced a reward, while the chief minister questioning the role of police and paramilitary Rangers described the incident as a “serious security lapse”.

The son of SHC Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah was kidnapped in Clifton on Monday afternoon, but the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) remained clueless about his disappearance until the family pointed it out hours later. The law-enforcers finally declared the incident a case of kidnapping after collecting evidence and recording eyewitness accounts.

“The kidnapping of Awais Shah from a market of a posh area is a serious security lapse,” said Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah while presiding over the meeting on law and order at CM House.

Car with police number plate suspected to have been used for kidnapping

“How is it possible that four masked men armed with heavy weapons kidnapped a person from the courtyard of a shopping centre at 2.30pm and the police and other agencies don’t know about it until the victim’s family points it out?”

The chief minister directed the Rangers and police authorities to evolve a strategy to recover Advocate Shah and work out concrete measures to ensure a sustainable peace in the city.

The law enforcers remained busy collecting evidence and taking eyewitness accounts to trace the culprits and determine their motive for the kidnapping.

Footage

They examined footage of different closed-circuit television cameras which showed Advocate Shah leaving the city’s prominent supermarket in the afternoon and then a car bearing a registration number of Sindh police moving on roads. It is suspected that the young advocate was taken away in the car after his kidnapping.

Sindh IG A.D. Khowaja, meanwhile, set up an eight-member investigation team under DIG CIA Sultan Khowaja for the probe while separately assigning the task of his safe recovery to the commandos wing of the Sindh Police Special Security Unit.

The Rangers, too, claimed that they had beefed up operation across the city to trace any clue to the kidnappers. “In connection with the kidnapping of the Sindh High Court chief justice’s son, the Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, has conducted a search operation in Orangi Town, Gadap, Liaquatabad, Keamari, Korangi, Clifton and Jamshed Town areas and arrested 11 suspects,” said a brief statement.

Rangers DG Major General Bilal Akbar himself visited the crime scene and was briefed about progress in the investigation. “The Pakistan Rangers annou­nced a Rs2.5 million reward for any credible information that can help solve the case and recovery of the kidnapped person. The people are appealed to contact the Rangers helpline 1101, or send email at rangers.madadgar@gmail.com or contact at WhatsApp number 0316-2369996 to share any credible information in this regard.”

The police officials, however, claimed that they had collected sufficient evidence to set the course of the probe.

Sources privy to the progress believed that the investigators had not yet got any success to connect the dots.

“Footage of over 18 CCTV cameras have been gathered which shows the white car bearing Sindh police registration number leaving the supermarket parking area and then moving on a road leading from Baloch Colony to Tipu Sultan Road,” said a source.

“The car was not spotted anywhere between these places by any camera. Later during the day it was reported that the same car was spotted moving towards the Manghopir area. There is nothing final, as this all is guess work so far and one of them suggests that the car left the city for Balochistan territory through that route [Manghopir Road].”

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) in an emergency meeting condemned the kidnapping of Advocate Shah and resolved to stand with the family in this delicate and difficult time.

Presided over by PBC Vice Chairman Barrister Dr Faogh Naseem, the meeting which was held in Islamabad at the Supreme Court building deplored the law and order situation in entire Pakistan, particularly in the province of Sindh.

The meeting also called upon Federal Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan, Karachi Corps Commander Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar, DG Rangers Major General Bilal Akbar and Sindh IG A.D. Khawaja to ensure safe and secure release of the lawyer.

Published in Dawn, June 22th, 2016