KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday issued notices to the provincial home secretary, director general of Sindh Rangers, inspector general of police and others on a petition seeking whereabouts of a former lawmaker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha also put the advocate general, prosecutor general and special prosecutor Rangers as well as deputy attorney general on notice for Oct 13.

Mohsin Nisar petitioned the SHC stating that his father, Nisar Ahmed Panhwar, was a former minister and lawmaker affiliated with the MQM and on Aug 27, he had filed a constitutional petition in the SHC against a ban on media coverage of party founder Altaf Husain and the petition was fixed for hearing on Aug 30.

However, he submitted that Rangers personnel along with officials of sensitive institutions raided his house in Saadi Town on the night between Aug 29 and Aug 30 and took his father away.

The petitioner argued that he along with other family members had approached the police station concerned, Rangers and other authorities concerned, but the whereabouts of his father remained unknown.

He further stated that an application seeking a kidnapping FIR was filed before the police station concerned, but police officials did not receive it and refused to take any legal action for the recovery of his father.

The petitioner sought a directive for the respondents to produce his father before the court and to register a case against his abduction.

JI plea against LG polls delay

The Sindh High Court on Thursday issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan and others on a petition filed by the Jamaat-i-Islami against postponement of second phase of local government elections in Sindh.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh asked the ECP, chief secretary Sindh, regional metrological depart­­­ment and provincial election commissioner to file comments till next hearing.

The JI Karachi secretary general Munem Zafar Khan and another party leader through their counsel approached the SHC and submitted that on Aug 24, the ECP had again postponed the LG elections scheduled to be held in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions on Aug 28 and was yet to announce a new date.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2022