HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court on Thursday ordered Sindh home department to form a joint investigation team (JIT) within 15 days regarding the cases of five ‘missing’ activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London and submit a report.

The division bench comprising Justices Salahuddin Panhwar and Faheem Ahmed Siddiqui also directed Hyderabad SSP to ensure recovery of all five missing persons and appear in person in the court in case of failure.

The bench noted that despite court’s order passed on July 19 the SSP had failed to submit a comprehensive report and recover Moeed Gadhi, Mohsin, Amanullah, Abid Ghauri and Khalid Qureshi. The counsel for the petitioners Shakeel Zai said that Moeed Gadhi and Mohsin were confined in Nara Jail, Hyderabad, and were taken away by people with their faces covered in a Vigo vehicle immediately after they were released from the jail in the presence of the father of Moeed and brother of Mohsin Qureshi. He said that as far as other missing persons were concerned the SSP had failed to trace their whereabouts and submit a detailed report to the court. Under these circumstances, the court noted, it had no other option but to order Sindh home department to form a JIT within 15 days and submit a report positively.

Earlier, on the last date of hearing Sindh’s Additional Advocate General (AAG) Allah Bachayo Soomro had promised to file a detailed report showing police’s efforts regarding the five missing persons. He made the statement in four identical petitions, seeking recovery of Moeed Ahmed and Mohsin Qureshi, Syed Aman Ali, Abid Ghauri, an elected union committee chairman and Khalid Qureshi.

The AAG submitted statements of SSP, chief of Nara Jail and DIG police, who denied having the missing persons in their custody.

The deputy attorney general also filed a statement on behalf of respondent Rangers authorities in which the force denied having picked up the petitioners’ relatives.

Mr Zai argued that Abid Ghauri was picked up on March 31, 2017, by the occupants of a double-cabin vehicle in Barkat Bhai town. Later, his father Mehmood Khan Ghauri filed a petition in the Sindh High Court seeking his recovery.

Hameed Khan and Tahseen Qureshi filed a joint petition to seek recovery of Hameed’s son Moeed Ahmed and Tahseen’s brother, Mohsin Qureshi.

They were imprisoned in Nara Jail and were granted bail on June 21. When the petitioners reached the prison to receive them, occupants of two double-cabin vehicles arrived there and took both of them away, he said.

In-charge of CIA Hyderabad in his statement filed through AAG Sindh denied having picked up Khalid Qureshi, husband of petitioner Saima Khalid on May 23. The petitioner claimed that her husband had left home for Badin on May 23 and not returned since then.

Respondent police officers, including the SSP, denied having arrested Syed Aman Ali, son of petitioner Syed Asghar Ali on July 3 while he was on his way to court.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2017