KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday directed the provincial police officer to personally look into some petitions pertaining to missing persons and also issued notices to respondents on fresh identical petitions.

A two-judge bench of the SHC headed by Justice Niamatullah Phulpoto, who was hearing dozens of petitions about missing persons, also directed the assistant inspector general (AIG legal) to ensure his presence on every Thursday in these cases.

The bench asked the inspector general of Sindh police to personally look into some cases, including Hafiz Ahsanullah, who reportedly went missing in North Karachi in September 2012, and Mohammad Farhan Khan, who was allegedly taken away from New Karachi in May 2015, and directed the IG to submit a report at the next hearing.

Another matter pertaining to Mohammad Raees, who was allegedly picked up by law enforcement agencies in Saudabad last year, was referred to the additional IG of Karachi.

An assistant attorney general placed before the bench a report of federal interior secretary, which said that neither the Federal Investigation Agency, Islamabad, had arrested Farhan nor detained him.

The bench issued directions to the joint investigation team and the provincial task force to use modern devices to locate the missing persons.

It also granted two weeks’ time to the Karachi police chief to complete an inquiry into the death of a missing person in an alleged encounter with the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD).

On Aug 30, the bench had ordered an inquiry into the death of Mohammad Shafi, alias Yaseen, who was reportedly taken away from a Korangi locality in April 2016, after the CTD said that he had been killed in a shoot-out. However, the additional inspector general of police Karachi did not file the inquiry report and the provincial law officer sought two weeks’ time.

The bench again directed the DIG CTD to file his comments in another matter pertaining to Sameer Afridi after his mother petitioned the SHC and submitted that he went missing from Baldia Town in August 2016.

On a previous hearing, the DIG was asked to file reply about the allegations levelled against the CTD. On Thursday, the bench again directed him to file reply till next hearing or else he would be summoned.

Meanwhile, the bench also issued notices to the respondents as well as the provincial and federal law officers for next hearing to file comments on many newly-filed identical petitions while a number of petitions were disposed of after the bench was informed that some alleged detainees returned to their homes and others were found confined to prisons in connection with some cases.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2018