KARACHI, April 3: A division bench of the Sindh High Court on Tuesday ordered the Sindh Home Secretary and Capital City Police Officer of Karachi to pass a reasoned order on the application of a man seeking change of an investigation officer inquiring in his daughter’s death.

The bench, comprising Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Ali Sain Deno Metlo, while disposing of the petition of Mohammad Aslam Ansari ordered that the matter be placed before the concerned SSP/committee for the purpose of change of the investigation officer.

In its short order the bench wrote: “Accordingly, we would direct that this be done and he/they shall hear the complainant as well as examine the entire police file and thereafter pass a reasoned order as to whether or not the investigation should be changed”.

In his petition, Mr Ansari submitted to the court that his daughter, Maryam Ansari, alias Neelum was burnt to death by her husband, Syed Mohammed Imran Ali, her mother-in-law Shakeela and her brother-in-law Mohammad Nauman Ali on November 28, 2006 in Orangi Town.

He submitted that his son-in-law called him on November 28 telling him that his daughter had burnt herself and she was in Ziauddin Hospital. He stated that he rushed to the hospital where his daughter told him that she was burnt by her husband, mother-in-law and brother-in-law.

The woman’s father submitted that he got an FIR registered against the husband and in-laws of his daughter with the Pakistan Bazar police, who arrested Imran and Nauman. However, the victim’s mother-in-law obtained interim bail.

He stated that he sought the change of the investigation officer due to his partiality and moved an application to this effect to the home secretary. The petitioner said the home secretary directed the provincial police officer, Sindh, to assign investigation to any other impartial officer. However, the investigation officer was not changed despite home secretary’s orders and he (IO) submitted the police report exonerating the suspects from the charges.

He stated that the IO subsequently released the alleged killers. He prayed to the court to direct the home secretary to issue an order to the competent authority of the police for transfer of investigation of the case to an impartial officer and to finalise their report within a reasonable time.

Counsel for the petitioner, Javed Iqbal Burgqui advocate, submitted to the court that the investigation was biased since its very inception.

He stated that besides the petitioners there were at least two independent witnesses who would vouch to the fact that in her dying declaration the deceased woman had named the three accused. He said the statements of those witnesses were never recorded.