July 12, 2007	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 26, 1428

HYDERABAD, July 11: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court on Tuesday directed the additional advocate general (AAG) of Sindh to provide security to a couple who had married of their own free will much to the anger of the girl’s family, and ensure they appeared in court on July 16.

Justice Zia Pervez passed the order on a constitutional petition filed by Ms Naziran citing PPO Sindh, Mohammad Bux Majidano, SHO of police station Tando Allahyar, Allah Bachayo Majidano, and Sindh government as respondents.

The girl’s counsel informed the court that the couple could to reach the court due to security concerns and the court asked the AAG to provide escort to the petitioner as and when informed by the petitioner's counsel.

Ms Naziran had filed an affidavit on June 13, 2006 with judicial magistrate-III expressing desire that she wanted to marry Mohammad Ismail Brohi before she married him on Dec 15, 2006 in Nawabshah in the presence of witnesses.

She said that the two families had earlier consented to their marriage but at a later stage her parents dropped the proposal. The couple requested their families to iron out differences but they refused leaving them with no other option but to take the matter in their own hands.

They went to Nawabshah and after signing an affidavit of free will got married much to the anger of the girl’s family who declared the marriage as an act of karo-kari and mounted search for the couple with the intention of killing them.

After a lapse of some time Ms Naziran’s father, Allah Bachayo, started harassing the couple through the SHO of Tando Allahyar police station who threatened her in-laws to implicate them in false cases.

Afraid for their lives the couple and the girl’s in-laws decided to shift to Karachi, she said and added that their lives were in grave danger because her parents were influential and capable of committing any crime against them.

She said that their fundamental rights were being infringed and prayed the court order respondents not to harass, threaten or kill them and direct the respondent SHO not to implicate the petitioner, her husband and his relatives in false and fabricated cases.

She urged the court to direct the Sindh government and the PPO of Sindh to provide them protection and ask them to submit an undertaking and personal bond that they would not threaten, intimidate and kill the couple or her husband's family members.

PPO: Restructuring and reorganisation in police will be launched in soon Sukkur and Hyderabad region to improve working of operation and investigation wings, said the Provincial Police Officer (PPO) Sindh, Zia ul Hassan on Wednesday. This will also help in achieving the spirit of Police Order 2002, he added.

He called for massive improvement in Investigations Wing as there were cases which had not been investigated. He said that there was high alert in Sindh province after Lal Masjid episode because of fears of terrorist attacks. He denied reports that suicide bombers had entered in Sindh.

He was addressing a press conference at Shahbaz Hall after holding a meeting with police officers of Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur divisions. The DIGs Hyderabad Shaukat Shah, Mirpurkhas Ghulam Hyder Jamali and Sukkur Zulfikar Shah were present on the occasion.

He said that he had discussed law and order situation with police officers and members of business community to seek their proposals on how to improve working of operation and investigation wings. He said he intends to improve working conditions of police for which police and people liaison was an important factor that needs to be focussed. He called for promotion of community policing.

He said that if law and order situation was improved it would certainly bring about economic prosperity and ensure more stability. “It will definitely lead to investment and jobs in Sindh which is the aim of the present government”, he said. He was satisfied with prevailing law and order situation in the province.

Expressing dissatisfaction over working of Investigations Wing he said in certain districts this wing needed an overhauling. He said that he had given targets to Regional Police Officers (RPOs) of Hyderabad and Sukkur with one month timeframe to achieve the goals. He said that these targets would be achieved in the light of various proposals that had been discussed.