KARACHI, June 10: The Sindh High Court adjourned hearing of a petition seeking registration of a case against the police personnel and US consulate officials who had allegedly manhandled and illegally confined a petitioner.

Mirza Aslam Baig said in his petition that his jeep was intercepted in front of Awami Markaz on Sharea Faisal by police and the consulate security staff on March 22 afternoon. He was manhandled and taken to the consulate building and later to the Artillery Maidan police station and kept in unlawful custody for hours. The police were not prepared to register the first information report.

Like the Baloch Colony SHO on a previous date, the Artillery Maidan SHO said in his affidavit on Friday that the jeep was found tailing US consulate vehicles from the airport which had raised suspicion against it. He denied that the petitioner had been manhandled. Nothing unlawful against him was found after interrogation and he was let off against the surety of his neighbour who had reached the police station.

Security officer Shoaib Sardar, who was accompanying the consulate vehicles, claimed in his affidavit that the intercepted jeep was found carrying ‘ammunition’. It was stopped and the petitioner was found in possession of a pistol. He produced a photostat copy of his arm licence, which was not found satisfactory. He had to be taken to the police station for questioning but was released when the police found nothing against him, the officer said.

Federal attorney Ziauddin Nasir said he could not obtain government’s instructions regarding representation of consulate officials. Provincial attorney Abdul Jabbar Lakho submitted that the respondents should not be asked to file personal affidavits as it would prejudice their case.

The division bench, comprising Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Amir Hani Muslim, which had earlier summoned the respondent consular officials concerned, was informed that the notices could not be served and the hearing was adjourned to June 15.