KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the home secretary, inspector general of police and others on petitions seeking whereabouts of two members of the social media team of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

Family members of Fahad Jamal Siddiqui and Mudassir Rehman, the two social media activists of the PTI, petitioned the SHC submitting that the officials of law enforcement agencies had raided their houses located within the remit of the Aziz Bhatti and Tipu Sultan police stations, respectively, on the night between March 27 and March 28 and detained them.

The petitioners further submitted that they had approached police officials and area police stations, but to no avail.

They contended that both the men had been detained at some unknown places without registration of any FIR and their whereabouts were not known.

They asked the court to issued directives to the authorities to recover their loved ones.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto issued notices to the respondents as well as the advocate general on both the petitions for April 6.

The bench also put the prosecutor general, Sindh and the deputy attorney general on notice for the next hearing.

On March 28, the same bench had also issued notices to the authorities concerned on a petition seeking whereabouts of Mohammad Arshad Siddiqui, said to be the head of the PTI’s Karachi social media team.

His brother contended that Mr Siddiqui went to Gulshan-i-Iqbal for some work on March 26 but did not return.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2023