KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Monday expressed resentment over the absence of the Advocate General (AG), Sindh during the hearing of a petition seeking to make public the reports of joint investigation teams of Baldia factory fire, Uzair Baloch and other high-profile criminal cases.

A two-judge SHC bench headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro regretted that despite an earlier order AG Salman Talibuddin did not turn up. The court directed him to appear on May 20.

The lawyer for petitioner Ali Zaidi, who is a leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and federal minister for maritime affairs, argued that since the JIT reports were available with the court, it may make these reports public as the provincial law officer did not bother to appear.

The bench observed that it sought the AG’s presence during his arguments.

The lawyer will advance his arguments regarding the maintainability of the petition on the next hearing.

PTI’s Ali Zaidi had petitioned the high court in 2017 stating that the Sindh Transparency and Right to Information Law, 2011 had been passed by the provincial assembly which allowed every citizen the right to information.

The petitioner submitted that the JIT reports had made startling disclosures about the involvement of politicians in crimes such as murder and extortion, adding that the relevant authorities were approached to obtain copies of the JIT reports of the Baldia factory fire incident, crimes of Lyari gang war leader Uzair Baloch and former chairperson of the Fishermen Cooperative Society Nisar Morai and to make them public, but to no avail.

He further submitted that Uzair Baloch, who is facing trial before a military court on espionage charges, had confessed to his association with the central leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party.

He alleged that besides admitting to involvement in extortion, the alleged Lyari gangster had also confessed before the JIT to have killed several people allegedly on the directives of the party’s leadership as well as facilitating them in having private lands and properties vacated by threatening property owners.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2019