KARACHI: Kazmi withdraws kidnap case against police
By A Reporter
KARACHI, Oct 16: Civil rights campaigner Mohammad Iqbal Kazmi has withdrawn the case against police, pertaining to the abduction of his wife. The case (FIR 312/07) was registered in Sept 2007 on a court order.
Shazia alias Sadia Kazmi, wife of Mohammad Iqbal Kazmi, on Saturday told Dawn that an application to the Sindh Home Department was submitted to withdraw the case “with a firm belief in the justice of Almighty”.
Iqbal Kazmi was arrested by Darakhshan police on June 12, 2007 for his alleged involvement in issuance of dud cheques to five different parties.
Although courts have granted him bail in all the cases, he is still behind the bars due to non-payment of surety bonds of Rs200, 000.
His wife said that the police had been taking unilateral action against them and were bent upon torturing them.
“We have also got cases registered against people for giving us bogus cheques in 2006, kidnapping me and my husband but the police officials are not taking any action and in the prevailing circumstances the only option left is to withdraw the cases and reduce the mental agony”, she said.
She, however, said that the cases against Haq Nawaz Gabol (Kazmi’s business partner), Ghazanfar and others had not been withdrawn.
It may be recalled that Iqbal Kazmi had submitted an application on Aug 9 to the court of district and sessions judge, South, Zaheeruddin S. Leghari, under Section 22-A of the Criminal Procedure Code, stating that his wife and her cousin Mohammad Imran Shehzad were coming to the Sindh High Court on Aug 1 in an auto-rickshaw when some unidentified men intercepted the vehicle and kidnapped them in a Parado from a road near the Defence Central Library situated on Sunset Boulevard.
The kidnappers, he alleged, had tortured and injured them with a sharp-edged weapon and later dropped them in Sea view area. He said that the Station House Officer of Defence police station had refused to register a case against the unknown culprits.The court on Aug 11 summoned the SHO but he submitted a written explanation in his defence stating that Shazia alias Sadia Kazmi and Imran Shehzad, son of Mohammad Islam, came to the police station on Aug 1 and said they wanted to go to hospital for treatment.
The duty officer referred them to the Jinnah Hospital with a police letter for medical examination and treatment. After that none of them came to the police station to formally lodge a report.
In their arguments, Iqbal Kazmi and his wife said that the police statement was false, adding that the police officials had simply refused to register the case.
According to the couple, both Sadia Kazmi and Mohammad Imran Shehzad had visited the police station on Aug 1, 2 and 8, but the police officials did not pay any heed to their requests.
The court after hearing the arguments had directed the SHO to register a case according to the applicant’s statement.
Mr Kazmi had submitted a contempt application to the court on Sept 16 under Section 204 of the constitution, contempt Act 1976 stating that the SHO was not complying with a court order to register a case against Sindh Home Adviser Waseem Akhtar, DSP Zahid Hussain Shah, SI Munir Chandio and Hanif Memon for their alleged involvement in the abduction and torture of his wife and her cousin.
The SHO was again summoned to the court on Aug 18. In his written statement, the SHO submitted that he was ready to register a case according to the statement of Shazia alias Sadia Kazmi.
After hearing the arguments and recording statement of the SHO the court had rejected the contempt application on Aug 28, submitted against the SHO and directed him to register a case according to the statement of the complainant Shazia.
Mr Kazmi had submitted another application to the court on Aug 29 stating that following the court’s order his wife went to the Defence police station for the registration of a case but SHO Asif on gunpoint forced her to sign three different papers and refused to include the name of Waseem Akhtar in the FIR.
He alleged that instead of providing a copy, the SHO only gave the reference number of the FIR i.e. 312/07. Mr Kazmi had pleaded for the registration of case against the SHO for allegedly threatening his wife. After hearing arguments and submission of affidavit by the SHO to court, the judge had disposed of the petition on Sept 16.Mr Kazmi has also submitted an application for the withdrawal of his petition in the Sindh High Court against MQM chief Altaf Hussain, Sindh CM Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim and Adviser to the Sindh CM on Home Affairs Waseem Akhtar.
The petition was filed against them under Article 6 (of high treason) for their alleged involvement in the May 12 mayhem.
