KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Monday directed the home secretary, provincial police chief, Rangers director general and others to submit their respective replies in the petitions against alleged detention of seven workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement by law enforcement agencies.

A division bench comprising Justices Ahmed Ali M. Sheikh and Syed Muhammad Farooq Shah also issued notices to the federal and provincial law officers to ensure the filing of comments on behalf of the official respondents. The hearing was adjourned to Jan 15.

The petitioners — Zubair Sharafat, Adnan, Shaista Riaz, Abdur Rahman, Mustafa Ali and Moafia Khatoon — were represented by Advocate Muhammad Imran Miyo.

The counsel told the judges that on Jan 20 the paramilitary troops arrested Abrar, owner of a roadside tea stall, in Orangi Town within the jurisdiction of the Mominabad police station. He said that the same day another worker of the MQM, Umair Sharafat, an employee of Honda Atlas, was arrested in Orangi Town’s Sector 10.

The counsel submitted that the law enforcement agencies personnel and police raided the house of Naseer, an employee of a hospital, in Oragni Town and took away the victim.

Later on Jan 21, he said, another worker of the MQM, Bilal, was taken into custody by the law-enforcers in Hingorabad, Lyari. The same day, he said, Suleman, a factory worker, was also picked up by the Rangers and police within the jurisdiction of the Kalri police station.

Earlier on Jan 16, Advocate Miyo said, MQM worker Syed Tahir Ali, an employee of the education department, was arrested and on Jan 15 Shahzad Khan, a worker of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), was held in Orangi Town.

The counsel informed the judges that their family members approached the police of their respective areas and other authorities to ascertain their whereabouts, but to no avail as the law-enforcers feigned ignorance about the arrest of the MQM men.

He said that the police were not registering cases regarding the disappearance of MQM workers, while the Rangers also did not disclose any arrest.

The counsel apprehended that the detained MQM workers could be killed extra-judicially and asked the court to direct the respondent authorities to produce the detained MQM workers in court.

Notice to KWSB

A division bench headed by Justice Nadeem Akhtar issued notices to the KWSB, Karachi commissioner and others to submit their replies in a petition against unhygienic conditions prevailing in the city due to overflowing of gutters.

The petition was filed by Rana Faizul Hasan, a civil rights campaigner and secretary general of the United Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, who asked the court to take notice of the unhygienic conditions in the city.

He said that massive funds were at the disposal of the civic utility, but no development work was being carried out to control the situation.

He said that the fragile civic infrastructure had almost collapsed, while the KWSB was not taking any steps for improvement in the sewerage system. The bench directed the KWSB to submit a detailed report in this regard and put off the hearing to Feb 6.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2015

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