HYDERABAD: Former special assistant to the Sindh chief minister Ismail Dahiri, who had gone missing along with his secretary, guard and driver on Friday, was produced in a court, which remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days in a narcotics and illicit arms case on Saturday.

Dahiri had reportedly gone missing while he, along with his secretary, guard and driver, was returning to Daulatpur town, located in Shaheed Benazirabad district, from Sehwan.

The A-Section police of Latifabad, Hyderabad, said that Dahiri and his friend, Inayat Otho, were booked and arrested after about 5kg charas and an unlicenced Kalashnikov were found and seized from the Land Cruiser they were travelling by on Friday.

The police claimed that SHO Naik Mohammad Khoso intercepted the Land Cruiser and seized the narcotics and Kalashnikov.

The police produced Dahiri and Otho before the judicial magistrate-X to seek their police remand but the judge remanded them in judicial custody for 14 days.

Police claim seizing 5kg charas, illicit Kalashnikov from his Land Cruiser; Dahiri believes home minister victimising him

Speaking to local reporters in the court, Ismail Dahiri claimed that he was kept in a toilet at the A-Section police station for a whole night and was subjected to torture. He said that whereabouts of his driver and secretary were not known to him.

He also alleged that he was being victimised at the behest of Sindh Home Minister Zia Lanjar, and warned that if any harm came to him, the home minister should be held responsible.

Dahiri identified Otho is his ‘guard’, the missing associate, Aijaz Otho as secretary. He said his driver, Haris was also missing. He feared that his missing companions might be forced to become approvers against him or they might even be killed in fake encounters.

Substantiating his allegation of the police acting at the behest of the home minister, Dahiri pointed out that the Hyderabad SSP is Lanjar’s nephew. He said that he was being asked to seek apology from Lanjar. “I wonder for what fault should I tender an apology,” he said.

“Zia Lanjar is a contractor and he is neither a jiyala nor has he given any sacrifice for the party. What Lanjar and Musharraf could not do, are being done by lotas; Ali Hassan Zardari is also a lota”, he remarked.

Dahiri argued whether he would be roaming around with 5kg charas in his vehicle after having served as CM’s special assistant for jail affairs.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2024