KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Friday directed police and Rangers to make all-out efforts to track down two missing persons who were alleged to have been detained by the law enforcement agencies.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Sadiq Hussain Bhatti gave this direction while hearing two separate constitutional petitions filed by the family members of the missing persons.

Petitioner Saifullah submitted in his petition that his son, Hafiz Ahsanullah, was a teacher at a seminary and he was intercepted in the Gulberg area on Nov 26, 2012 by the personnel of the law enforcement agencies who took him away.

He said that he reported the matter to the area police and also contacted the Rangers officials to ascertain the whereabouts of his son, but to no avail, as the officials refused to divulge any details about him.

The petitioner asked the court to direct the respondent authorities, including police and Rangers, to locate his son and produce him in court.

On Friday, the sub-divisional police officer of the Federal B Industrial Area filed a progress report as called by the court.

The report stated that the police were making hectic efforts for the recovery of the missing man, but no clue to his whereabouts was so far found.

Another petitioner, Bilquees Begum, stated in her petition that the personnel of police and other law enforcement agencies raided her house on May 6, 2015 in Garden and took her son away.

She said that she and other family members approached the area police to find out about her son, but the officials at the police station feigned ignorance about the matter.

According to the petitioner, the officials of the paramilitary troops were also contacted in this connection, but to no avail as they also refused to give any information about her son.

The woman said that her son was a social worker and he was not affiliated with any political or religious party.

She requested the court to direct the respondent law-enforcers to produce her son in court.

The bench directed the respondent police and Rangers authorities to make all-out efforts to locate the missing persons and file a compliance report in court.

The bench adjourned the hearing to a date to be later announced by the court’s office.

Plea seeking cancellation of K-Electric privatisation

Advocate Moulvi Iqbal Haider, a senior lawyer known for his public interest litigation, filed a constitutional petition against the unprecedented loss of life caused by the current heatwave coupled with power outages.

Earlier, an identical petition filed by Rana Faizul Hasan, secretary general of the United Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, sought action against the federal, provincial and K-Electric authorities for failing to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the people that led to the death of over 400 people in only two days.

Petitioner Haider asked the court to cancel the privatisation of the power utility as it had failed to ensure uninterrupted power supply to people.

Published in Dawn June 27th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play