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KARACHI, Aug 26: A civilian detainee who has been arrested on charges of espionage is to be tried by a field general court martial under the Pakistan Army Act, a federal attorney informed a division bench of the Sindh High Court on Friday.
A petition moved by Hameed Aresa, through Advocate Saleem Samo, stated that his three sons were taken into custody on Sept 14, 2004. Two of them returned after a couple of months, but the third, Akbar Aresar, had not been heard of since.
The petition was fixed before a division bench, comprising Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Mohammad Afzal Soomro, which had sought comments from the federal government on the last date of hearing.
Deputy Attorney-General Azhar Nadeem Siddiqui informed the bench that according to instructions received from a federal agency, the detainee had been arrested for espionage and would be tried by a military court under the Army Act. An official from the army’s judge advocate-general (JAG) branch was also present in the court.
The bench allowed the petitioner’s request for permission to meet the detainee. Other near relatives would also be allowed to see him.
The proceedings were adjourned till Sept 14 for arguments by the petitioner’s counsel against the detainee’s trial by a military court.
NOTICES ISSUED: The Sindh High Court has issued notices to DPO, TPO and other police officials of Thatta for Sept 2 on petition filed by activists of the Pakistan People Party (PPP) against harassment, agencies add.
Mohammad Tayyab and Ali Sher of Thatta submitted that due to political rivalry they were subjected to political victimization by their opponents the Sherazi group.
They alleged that DPO (operations), TPO and police officials of Thatta, on the directives of their rivals, were making raids at their houses for harassment and intimidation for political gains.
Their counsel submitted in petition that the petitioners were being targeted because of their political affiliation and policing system was being used as weapon against them implicating them in false cases in different police stations of Thatta.
He expressed fear that lives, properties and movement of the petitioners were at stake and their fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution were being violated by the respondents.
The court was prayed to direct respondents to produce record of the FIRs wherein petitioners, their family members were required in order to justify their arrests and detention and restrain them from harassing the petitioners.
SHC’s division bench comprising Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Azizullah M. Memon after hearing the petition summoned respondents and called their comments on the petition.
IMTIAZ CASE: A division bench of the High Court of Sindh (SHC), comprising Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Azizullah M. Memon, on Friday issued notice to the state on a quashment application filed by former Sindh minister Imtiaz Shaikh in a kidnapping case.
Raja Qureshi, advocate, counsel for the applicant, appeared before the court. The applicant maintains that the kidnapping case was politically motivated and fabricated.
There was not an iota of evidence that applicant kidnapped Umar Iqbal for receiving ransom, the petitioner’s counsel submitted.
The bench, after initial hearing, issued notice to the state for Sept 19.
