KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday gave seven days’ time to Rangers to submit their reply on a petition seeking whereabouts of a man who was allegedly taken away by the paramilitary troops.

The counsel appearing for the family of missing person, Jibran, informed a two-judge bench that the victim was taken away by the Rangers 10 days ago and since then there was no clue to his whereabouts. He said that Jibran, who was booked in terror-related cases, was recently released from jail on bail.

The counsel said that earlier he was arrested in 2015 and was later produced before an antiterrorism court after remaining in illegal detention of law enforcers for one year.

He prayed to the court to direct the respondent authorities to produce Jibran in court.

The Rangers’ counsel requested the court to grant time for filing comments on the matter.

Granting his request, the bench directed him to submit reply within seven days.

‘Staged’ encounter case

Meanwhile, another bench of the high court directed the provincial police chief to inquire into the killing of another citizen in a ‘staged encounter’ and submit report before it.

The bench was hearing the petition filed by the family members of Mohammad Arif who was allegedly gunned down by police in a fake encounter in 2014.

The court was informed that the law enforcers had picked up Arif on Feb 4, 2014 from his house in Surjani Town and later the victim was killed in a police encounter.

The investigation officer told the judges that Arif was a robber and killed in the police encounter during a robbery.

The bench directed the inspector general police (IGP) to inquire into the matter and put off the hearing to a date to be later pronounced by the court’s office.

Transgenders’ case

A division bench adjourned the hearing of a petition seeking the court’s directives to the authorities concerned for giving transgenders political rights.

The petition was filed by the provincial president of Transgender Network, Sapna Rajput, pleading for the right of taking part in politics and casting their votes.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2018