KARACHI, Nov 28: A Sindh High Court bailiff was unable till Thursday evening to find or recover a detainee from the place where he was confined according to his father, the petitioner in the alleged illegal detention case.

Accompanied by the bailiff, Lt-Col Abdul Waheed Khwaja went to the Rangers Training Centre in Sohrab Goth to recover his detained son, Zubair. After waiting for about half an hour at the main gate of the Centre, he became suspicious and walked along the boundary wall to a side gate opening on Super Highway. He saw an armoured personnel carrier parked there and felt sure that Zubair was seated inside the APC. However, as he went back to inform the bailiff and request the Rangers’ officer present there to allow him to look into the APC, the vehicle sped off escorted by a Rangers mobile van.

The bailiff was deputed by an SHC division bench, comprising Chief Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad and Justice Ghulam Rabbani, at the request of the petitioner, who alleged that Zubair had been taken into custody in place of his elder son Naveed, who was suspected of involvement in the US consulate bomb blast. He claimed that he knew the place of detention and should be allowed to approach it confidentially along with a court bailiff so that the detainee was not shifted elsewhere.

The hearing of the case is due to resume on Friday when the bailiff and the petitioner would submit their reports.

Govt assurANCE: A provincial law officer assured the Sindh High Court on Thursday that he would try to ascertain the whereabouts of a detainee who is said to have been seen at the CIA centre by a prisoner.

The alleged detainee, Fazal Karim, was driver of Maulana Saud Fatani, from whose land police recovered parts of kidnapped and slain US journalist Daniel Pearl’s body. According to his wife, Ms Rehana, he went missing a few weeks ago and had not been seen or heard of since. She moved an habeas corpus petition through Advocate Khwaja Naveed Ahmed, saying her husband has been picked up by one of the law-enforcing agencies without warrant or process of law.

The provincial government law officer earlier denied the allegation and submitted in the court that Fazal Karim was not in the custody of any provincial agency. Advocate Naveed, however, produced a statement made by a prisoner in writing that he had seen Fazal Karim in CIA-police custody. He requested the court to record the prisoner’s statement on oath.

Additional Advocate-General Sarwar Khan assured the court that now that definite information had been made available, he would try to find out who arrested and detained Fazal Karim.

sugar mill case: A division bench of the Sindh High Court reserved on Thursday orders on two identical high court appeals challenging the sale of a private sugar mill at an allegedly low price, adds APP.

The bench comprised Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Amir Hani Muslim.

The appeals impugn the judgment by a single bench, comprising Justice Zia Parwez, passed on 6-11-2002 rejecting all objections and allowing sale/disposal of Kiran Sugar Mills to Euro Plus, a foreign firm.

Bashir Ahmed and Kiran Sugar Mills in their appeals maintained that the mill was established in 1993 and latest machinery equipment had been installed. The factory is spread over 106 acre on Dubber Road, Rohri, Sukkur.

They maintained that operation of the factory was stopped, in 1998 due to financial and other problems, after the arrest of former senator Islamuddin Shaikh, main sponsor of the mills.

They said as the factory defaulted in payment of loans advanced by Habib Bank, United Bank, Muslim Commercial Bank and Allied Bank, they filed recovery proceedings.

A bench of the SHC ordered attachment and consequent sale of the factory while appointing official assignee as the receiver.

The petitioners maintained that Euro Plus, the respondent in the appeals, enhanced its offer from Rs400 million to Rs450 million after which it was declared the successful bidder.

The petitioners maintained that the mill was sold in a hasty manner and in violation of laws. If proper advertisement was made, the unit could fetch much higher price, the petitioners maintained praying the court to ask the official assignee to invite fresh bids.

The court will announce judgment on Friday.