KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday issued notices to the Rangers director general, the Sindh police chief and others on a petition seeking whereabouts of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement coordination committee member, Kamal Malik, a former town nazim who was supposed to contest the upcoming local government elections.

Aasma Kamal through her counsel Mehfooz Yar Khan moved the court and submitted that her husband was picked by the Rangers personnel around midnight from their residence in North Nazimabad.

Mr Malik was released on Thursday evening.

While impleading the home secretary, DG Rangers, IG Sindh and area station house officer as respondents the petitioner contended that her husband was illegally detained and the law enforcers had not disclosed his arrest.

She asked the court to direct the respondents for the recovery or production of her husband.

A two-member bench of the SHC, headed by Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, put the respondents on notice for Oct 15 with a direction to submit their comments.

Meanwhile, the MQM alleged that the Rangers had arrested its senior leader and member of the party’s key coordination committee from his residence in North Nazimabad and his whereabouts were still unknown.

There was no word from the Rangers on the party’s claim.

The MQM leaders at a press conference at its headquarters, Nine Zero, said the arrested leader Kamal Malik had undergone a liver transplant two years ago and his health condition required medical care round the clock.

“Now the name of Kamal Malik has also become a part of that list that carries names of more than 150 MQM workers who have been missing,” said senior MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar while addressing the press conference.

Dr Sattar said: “If the Rangers have not been raiding houses of MQM workers and if they are not arresting our workers, then they should investigate who have been doing this while wearing their uniforms and storming into houses in the midnight.

“We have the right to know within 24 hours about the charges against Kamal Malik.”

He said that the Rangers had not responded yet to MQM’s concerns neither they had contacted the family and neighbours of Kamal Malik to know the facts.

Mr Malik was picked up only because he supported Altaf Hussain leadership and rejected the “minus-one formula” categorically, Dr Sattar added.

“Kamal Malik is the fourth coordination committee member who has been arrested,” he added.

“You would not have even heard about arrest of any other party’s leaders during the ongoing Karachi operation. We are concerned

about his life, as his health condition requires consistent care due to liver transplant he had undergone a couple of years ago,” the MQM leader said.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2015

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