15 May 2004	Saturday	24 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

HYDERABAD, May 14: The DPOs of Badin and Mirpurkhas and the SHOs of Jhuddo and Pingrio, in their written statements before the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, here on Friday denied having detained three persons.

The statements were submitted in response to a petition filed by Munawar Ali Khaskheli against above-mentioned police officers, stating that his father, Laung Khaskheli, and brothers, Muneer Ahmed and Manzoor Ali, had been detained by police.

He alleged that police had taken the action at the behest of his in-laws who were angry over his marriage to their daughter against their wish. The petitioner added that he and his wife might be killed on the pretext of Karo-kari under the directives of an elder of her in-laws' family.

Both of the DPOs denied that the father and brothers of the petitioner's had either been arrested or detained as there was no case against them. Similar statements were filed by the SHOs.

The court adjourned the matter for May 19 for further hearing.

Munawar Ali had stated in his petition that after he had married Mahrun Nisa, her parents approached the Jhuddo and Pangrio police to pressure him to bring their daughter back to their house.

He said that on April 29, the SHOs of Jhuddo and Pangrio arrested his father and two brothers and since then they were being shifted from one place to another.

He said that an elder of his in-laws' family had declared him and his wife Karo-kari and decided to kill them therefore they had left their native place and were living in Hyderabad.

The petitioner prayed the court to direct the SHOs to release the illegal detainees.