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KARACHI, July 24: The Sindh High Court asked the FIA on Thursday to request the Thai Consulate to help ascertain the whereabouts of the missing businessman, Saifullah Paracha.
The direction followed comments by the FIA that Mr Paracha had been cleared by the immigration authorities to board a Thai Airways flight to Bangkok from the Quaid-i-Azam International Airport, Karachi, on July 5. The agency also produced the passengers manifest and a Thai Airways letter confirming that Paracha left by its flight number PG-502 and occupied seat number 62F in the plane.
The agency further submitted that the airline and the authorities at the point of disembarkation (Bangkok airport) might be in a position to furnish further information.
The federal government’s standing counsel Syed Ziauddin Nasir argued that the petition against the FIA had become infructuous as the agency was not involved in Paracha’s alleged arrest, detention or disappearance.
A division bench, comprising Justices Ghulam Nabi Soomro and Azizullah M. Memon, however, asked the FIA to ascertain Paracha’s whereabouts from the Thai consulate and adjourned further proceedings till July 30.
Ms Farida, Paracha’s wife, had alleged in the petition that her husband was offloaded a Thai Airways flight and whisked away from the Karachi airport by the FIA authorities. The businessman was reportedly involved in Al Qaeda’s financial deals.
HR ACTIVIST: The petition against the arrest and detention of human rights activist Krishan Sharma was on Thursday adjourned to Monday by another division bench, comprising Justices Zahid Kurban Alavi and Zia Perwez.
The hearing could not commence in the morning as the counsel for the petitioner, Sharma’s mother, were not available at 9-30 am. The case was taken up in the afternoon.
Accepting a request by the counsel, Sayed Ghulam Shah and Noor Naz Agha, the bench passed a written order allowing the petitioner to move the MI authorities for a meeting with her son, who was arrested on March 21.
Another division bench had earlier verbally advised the petitioner to apply to the corps commander for a meeting with the detainee at Liaquat Barracks, Saddar. She told the new bench that her application failed to elicit any response.
Deputy Attorney-General Nadeem Azhar Siddiqui requested the bench on Thursday to decide the question of jurisdiction before proceeding with the petition any further. He said no order could be made by the court in relation to a person for the time being subject to any law relating to any of the armed forces in exercise of its writ jurisdiction under Article 199 of the Constitution.
