10 March 2005	Thursday	28 Muharram 1426

HYDERABAD, March 9: The Sindh High Court, Hyderabad bench, on Wednesday issued notices to the Sindh government through the chief secretary, home secretary and SP investigations, Hyderabad , on a petition praying the court to order production of three detainees in the court.

Sindh Additional Advocate General Masood A. Noorani was also put on notice for March 24. The petition was filed by Ayaz Ali, Mohammad Rahim Mari and Syed Arshad Ahmad Shah.

They stated that Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz activists Sikandar Soomro, Asghar shah and Munawar Ali Marri were residing in a flat in Karachi when investigations SP Pir Fareed Jan Sarhandi along with Zulfikar Arain and other subordinate staff raided the flat and took them away. They said when they asked why the activists were being arrested the officers threatened them with implication in false cases.

They said they came to Hyderabad and met the SP who admitted having made the arrests in presence of witnesses and said the detainees were in his custody and would be released after interrogation. They alleged that the SP warned them that if they approached the court, the detainees would be eliminated.

The petitioners said since their arrests, the activists had not been produced in any court as required under the law. They claimed that the detainees were not being kept at police lockups or jail but they were being shifted from one flat to another.

They said the detainees were reportedly being tortured and not provided with proper food and clothes. They apprehended that their lives were in danger. They prayed the court to order production of the detainees and release them after their statements were recorded. They said the respondents should be directed to produce the list of cases registered against activists.