KARACHI, Jan 4: A division bench of the Sindh High Court on Thursday issued a notice to the federal interior secretary and asked the deputy attorney-general to submit comments on a petition alleging kidnapping of a man by unknown personnel of a law enforcement agency last month.

Petitioner Muhammad Akbar, a resident of Jamshed Quarters, submitted that about 20 people in plainclothes but armed with kalashnikovs and pistols forcibly entered his house and took away his son, Faisal Akbar, on December 7, 2006. Faisal had not been seen or heard of since. The petitioner requested the court to direct the respondents, the Sindh chief secretary, the federal interior secretary, the provincial home department, the capital city police officer and the DIG (investigations) to produce his son.

The CCPO and an assistant inspector-general of police responded to the court notice issued on the previous date and submitted that the alleged detainee had not been arrested by police in any case. The SHO of Jamshed Quarters police station and the anti-violent crime cell also stated that they had nothing to do with the alleged arrest or detention. The alleged detainee was not wanted in any criminal case. CID superintendent Raja Umar Khattab said Faisal had neither been arrested nor detained by any official of the department.

Observing that protection of life and liberty of citizens was the foremost duty of the state, the bench, which consisted of Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Mohammad Athar Saeed, directed the home secretary and the capital city police officer to make all-out efforts to ascertain the whereabouts of the alleged detainee. It said police responsibility did not end with a denial as it had a legal obligation to trace and recover ‘missing’ people.

As requested by the petitioner, the bench issued a notice to the interior secretary for January 17 and asked the federal attorney also to submit his comments on that date.