KARACHI: The provincial authorities failed on Tuesday for the umpteenth time to offer any concrete proposal to the Sindh High Court in its efforts to devise a viable mechanism to prevent ‘extrajudicial’ killing of political workers.

A two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar that was seized with the hearing of a petition against the ‘extrajudicial’ killing of a Muttahida Qaumi Movement worker expressed grave concern and displeasure over the lethargic attitude of the authorities towards the issue.

The bench on June 11 directed the chief provincial law officer to take up the matter with the chief minister, the director general of Rangers, the provincial police chief and other authorities concerned for devising a “viable mechanism acceptable to all” for unearthing truth in allegations of extrajudicial killings and its prevention.

Rejecting a flimsy report filed by additional advocate general Mustafa Mahesar on behalf of the advocate general in pursuance of the court’s earlier order, the bench observed that it did not serve the purpose as it had not proposed any mechanism to discover the truth in allegations of extrajudicial killings levelled in the present and over half a dozen connected petitions filed by leaders and workers of the Muttahida.

The bench put off the hearing to Oct 2 after AAG Mahesar requested the court for more time to file appropriate report on the matter.

Replying a court query, he said that he would seek instruction from the relevant authorities regarding compensation to the families of the victims. He said that he would place before the court details regarding the payment of amount by Baitul Maal to the families of the missing persons.

One of the petitions was filed by Muttahida legislator Syed Asif Hasnain, against the ‘extrajudicial’ killing of Mohammed Suleman, an employee with the Civil Hospital Karachi.

It was submitted in the petition that the MQM worker with his nephew Mohammed Nauman was going to his office on Feb 3 when law-enforcers illegally arrested him.

The petitioner submitted that the victim’s family approached the police station concerned to inquire about the whereabouts of the detainee, but the police officials feigned ignorance about the incident.

Later on Feb 6, he said, the victim’s wife learnt through the media about the discovery of her husband’s body at a desolate place near the Malir stream.

The petitioner stated that the victim was the sole breadwinner of his family, but he was killed in an extrajudicial execution by the police.

He also stated in the petition that the victim’s family was being harassed by police officials, threatening them of dire consequences if they went for any legal action against them.

The MQM lawmaker asked the court to order registration of a murder case against additional inspector general of police Shahid Hayat, the SSP east and inspector Faheem Farooqui.

All respondent officials have denied to have arrested or detained the victim.

Respondent SSP-East Pir Ali Shah in his comments stated that the victim was neither arrested by the police nor had he remained in police custody.

He said an FIR (82/2014) against unidentified culprits was also registered at the Shah Latif police station under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Milk price case

The same court directed the city commissioner to file a detailed statement explaining the mechanism devised for preventing sale of impure and injurious to health milk and controlling its price.

The bench was seized with the petition of Rana Faizul Hasan, a civil rights campaigner and secretary general of the United Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, filed against the poor quality and exorbitant price of the commodity.

He informed the judges that while the fresh milk was being sold at higher price it was full of impurities and injurious to human health.

The petitioner submitted that the price of the daily-use commodity was not fixed by the relevant authorities as required under the law. “Nor has the sale of impure and injurious milk been stopped,” he further told the judges.

The bench observed that it seemed that certain government functionaries responsible for ensuring sale of healthy milk at reasonable and fair price have mixed up with milk sellers at wholesale and retail levels.

The court directed the city commissioner to also point out in his report the loopholes in the system fixing responsibility for the malpractice.

The commissioner was ordered to submit his detailed report within 15 days as the matter was adjourned to Oct 9.

Bakra Mandi’s removal stayed

A division bench comprising Justices Sajjad Ali Shah and Shaukat Memon restrained the authorities from removing a Bakra Mandi [goat market] of sacrificial animals from Road No. 9 at Bhains Colony in Landhi.

The order came on a petition of animal sellers who alleged that the staff of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and District Municipal Corporation of Malir had threatened them of demolishing their market in case their “demands” were not met.

The petitioners represented by Advocate Nehal Hashmi said that they were paying all necessary charges for sale of sacrificial animals, still their animals was being removed.

The bench ordered the KMC administrator, the SSP of Malir, the KMC director of land and the additional deputy commissioner to appear in person in court on Sept 19 when the court would take up the matter again.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2014