KARACHI, Jan 7: A man arrested as a ‘younger brother’ of the notorious dacoit Mashooq Brohi, claimed twice to have been killed by police, continues to be detained without identification despite a court order.

Shahid Rind, being held by police as Bahadar Brohi, was picked up on July 28, 2007, while on his way from Hub to Karachi in a bus. Following a petition moved by his uncle, Ghulam Hussain Rind, he was produced before a division bench of the Sindh High Court on October 23, 2007. He denied any relationship with Mashooq Brohi and alleged torture by police. Police said he was arrested on Oct 20 in a Baldia Town encounter case. Finding the police version hard to believe, the court quashed the FIR against him and in view of his poor health, ordered his medical examination.

The police said he could not be released despite quashing of the FIR as an anti-terrorism court has in the meantime issued a warrant for his arrest in another case. The court ordered that an identification parade be conducted to establish his identity. Anti-Corruption Establishment director A.D. Khwaja was asked to hold an inquiry into allegations of torture and illegal confinement.

The detainee approached the court again saying that neither an identification parade has been held nor an inquiry report submitted about his allegations against the police. His counsel, Adnan Karim, informed a division bench comprising Justices Nadeem Azhar Siddiqui and Rana M. Shamim on Monday that the police and jail authorities were not prepared to comply with the court order for his identification and release. He produced the detainee’s identity card to show that his name was Shahid Rind. The detainee, the counsel said, could not be confined indefinitely only because he bore resemblance to an allegedly notorious offender.

The bench asked the advocate-general to submit his comments on the whole episode and ACE director A.D. Khwaja to produce his inquiry report on January 15.

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