The wife of Khalid Shamim, Beena Khalid, holds the portrait of her husband in this file photo.

KARACHI: The wife of a key suspect in the murder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Dr Imran Farooq, Khalid Shamim, told the Sindh High Court on Monday that she feared her husband, who was recently shown to have been arrested in Chaman near Quetta, might be transferred outside the country for interrogation.

According to the Frontier Corps (FC), Shamim, who had been missing since 2011, was arrested along with another suspect, Mohsin Ali, four days ago near the Pakistan-Afghan border in Chaman.

Petitioner Beena Khalid approached the SHC against the possible transfer of her husband outside the country for interrogation.

A division bench headed by Justice Sadiq Hussain Bhatti directed the federal law officer to ensure the filing of comments by respondent authorities, including the interior ministry, by July 2 when the court would again take up the matter.

The woman stated that her husband has been missing since 2011 and now the authorities have shown his arrest in Chaman.

The petitioner said that there was no extradition treaty between Pakistan and the United Kingdom and asked the court to restrain the federal authorities from transferring her husband to Britain for interrogation.

Ms Khalid had earlier filed a constitutional petition in the SHC against the alleged detention of her husband.

The woman stated that her husband has been missing since 2011 and now the authorities have shown his arrest in Chaman.

The petitioner stated that she along with her husband, who is an employee of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, and their five-year-old son was going in their car when her husband pulled over near an ATM at Malir Halt to get some money.

She said that all of a sudden law enforcement agency personnel in two vehicles, both bearing official registration numbers, intercepted and took him away. She said she cried for help but none came to her husband’s rescue, while the police and Rangers were patrolling the area.

She had impleaded the interior secretary, the home secretary, the Rangers director-general, the city police chief and others as respondents for the detention of her husband.

The federal and provincial law enforcement agencies, however, had denied the arrest or detention of Shamim and police officers investigating the case said that efforts were being made to recover the detainee and in this regard a joint investigation team had been constituted which was looking into the matter.

According to a progress report placed on record by police on the court’s order, the KWSB employee belonged to the MQM (A) and was involved in a murder case registered at the Model Colony police station.

The report stated that Shamim frequently travelled abroad during the past couple of years and the investigation officer had sent a letter to the Sri Lanka Airlines to obtain the travel record of the missing man.

However, the reply from the airline was still awaited.

Earlier, a provincial law officer submitted that the missing man might have gone underground or fled to a foreign country to escape any liability in the criminal case.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2015

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