KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday issued notices to the ministry of interior, provincial home department, inspector general of police (IGP) and others on a petition seeking whereabouts of a prominent businessman who was reportedly abducted on Tuesday.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Kausar Sultana Hussain directed the SHO of the Kalri police station to appear in person on July 30.

Anber Zulfiqar petitioned the SHC and submitted that her husband, Zulfiqar Ahmed, who is the managing director of the Paracha Textile Mills and Mezan Group, was abducted by unknown armed men on July 23 when he, along with a friend Qaiser, was on his way to Clifton from his office.

She stated that the vehicle of her husband was intercepted by a double cabin vehicle on Mauripur Road near Agra Taj and eight armed men abducted Mr Ahmed and his friend. However, they later set Qaiser free, she added.

Paracha Textile Mills and Mezan Group MD Zulfiaqr Ahmed was ‘abducted’ by armed men on July 23, SHC told

The petitioner submitted that she and her family approached various law enforcement agencies including police, but they had expressed ignorance about the incident.

She submitted that a written complaint was also submitted to the Kalri SHO by the manager of the mills for registration of a FIR, but to no avail.

The petitioner expressed the apprehension that her husband might be framed in forged cases or killed in a “staged encounter by the respondents” since he had not been produced before any court as yet.

She asked the court to direct police officials concerned to produce the alleged detainee before the SHC and to disclose the reason behind his arrest/harassment.

She also sought a directive for the Kalri SHO to lodge an FIR about the alleged abduction of her husband.

After a preliminary hearing, the bench in its order said, “Let notice be issued to the respondents, advocate general Sindh, prosecutor general Sindh as well as DAG [deputy attorney general] for 30.07.2024, when respondent No. 7 [SHO Kalri] is directed to appear before this court.”

CTD DIG summoned

The same SHC bench has asked the DIG of the Counter-Terrorism Department to appear in person as an alleged missing person was said to be killed in an alleged encounter.

Naqeebullah petitioned the SHC on June 6, stating that his brother, Umer Farooq, had gone missing from Surjani Town on May 14 and sought his recovery.

When a two-judge bench headed by Justice Kausar Sultana Hussain took up the matter for hearing, the lawyer for the petitioner submitted that the missing person was picked up by the CTD last month and the news of his arrest was also published in a newspaper.

He filed a statement along with a copy of the newspaper and submitted that Umer was claimed to be killed by the CTD in an alleged shootout.

The bench directed the federal and provincial law officer, additional prosecutor general and prosecutor of Rangers to file their reply to the statement before the next date of hearing.

It also ordered the DIG-CTD to appear in court on Aug 13.

On July 24, the CTD claimed to have killed Umer Farooq, alias Doctor, in an alleged encounter and claimed that he was associated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2024