ISLAMABAD, Oct 12: The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqui, on Tuesday scolded police, observing that it was incapable of delivering the good to the masses and that its role had always been dissatisfactory in checking crime rate and maintaining law and order in the country.

Chief Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqui made these observations while a Supreme Court bench, comprising himself and Justice Tassadduq Hussain Jillani, was hearing a case of kidnapping for ransom in which the Sindh police had yet to arrest an absconder despite a lapse of nine years.

The bench rejected the report of Larkana District Police Officer and summoned Inspector-General of Sindh Police, Syed Kamal Shah, to appear before the court in person to explain the extraordinary delay in the arrest of the absconder. It adjourned the hearing for two weeks.

During the hearing, the DPO had submitted a report in which he admitted that the absconder was still at large. Abdul Khaliq and Abdul Waheed of the Arain Sugar Mills situated near Nodero Road, Larkana, were kidnapped by some criminals who released them after their demand for ransom was met.

Later the police arrested Abdul Karim and a co-accused Abbas Ali in this case after which the trial court awarded capital punishment with a direction to forfeit convict's entire movable and immovable properties.

The convicts then filed an appeal in the Sindh High Court, which acquitted them and ordered their release on September 19, 1995. Being aggrieved, the State moved an appeal in the Supreme Court praying to set aside the orders of the SHC by declaring it as void.

The Supreme Court granted bail to the co-accused Abbas Ali but issued non-bailable warrants for Abdul Karim directing the police to arrest him. Earlier, the court granted many extensions to the DPO Larkana but the police still failed to arrest the absconder.