KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday ordered release of over 35 more workers and supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) detained under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).

A two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh also came down heavily on the provincial authorities concerned for shifting the custody of political prisoners from Karachi to jails in the interior parts of the province and ordered them to bring back those who were still kept there.

On May 29, the bench had suspended the operation of the detention orders issued under the MPO after a provincial law officer failed to produce any material and ordered the release of over 40 workers and supporters of PTI who were confined under the MPO after the May 9 protests.

When the bench took up over 50 fresh petitions impugning detention orders under MPO for hearing, an additional secretary of home department, deputy inspector general of police (east) and other officials were in attendance.

CJ censures officials for shifting such prisoners to jails in other cities of Sindh; asks them to bring them back to Karachi

The home department in its report contended that in the light of the orders passed at the last hearing, around 30 prisoners had been set free, but others could not be released as their custody was required in some other cases.

It further maintained that a committee had been constituted to consider the representations/applications to review/de-notify the detention orders and fresh reports were called from the provincial police officer and after consideration, the committee had withdrawn the detention orders of 14 other prisoners.

However, lawyers for some petitioners argued that despite the orders issued at the previous hearing, the detained people, including PTI MPA Firdous Shamim Naqvi, had not been released.

The bench expressed its strong resentment over the defiance by the authorities concerned and asked them to provide the record if they were required in other cases.

It also asked the officials about a woman whose sister contended that she was still kept at a women’s prison in Sukkur in violation of the court order.

The bench directed the authorities to shift the woman from Sukkur to Karachi.

The officials submitted that Mr Naqvi had not been released as he was also wanted in a case registered at the Tipu Sultan police station about the May 9 violent protests on Sharea Faisal.

They further maintained that since the PTI lawmaker was unwell, he had been shifted from Shikarpur prison to NICVD Sukkur for treatment.

The bench also took exception to the shifting of detained people from Karachi to the jails in interior of Sindh and remarked that those who could not afford two-time meal amid growing inflation were forced to travel to other cities to meet their loved ones.

While suspending the operation of the detention orders of 37 PTI workers and supporters issued under the MPO, the bench noted that as per an additional advocate general, material, on the basis of which the impugned detention orders were issued, was not available presently and sought time to produce such material that had not been collected yet.

It ordered the jail and police authorities concerned to release the detained on personal bond of Rs10,000 each.

The bench ordered the respondents to shift the custody of remaining prisoners from the detention facilities of interior of Sindh to Karachi jails.

It said that those required in the cases other than the detentions under the MPO may approach the trial courts for bail.

As a provincial law officer undertook to file comments during the course of day and sought further time to file para-wise comments, the bench adjourned the hearing for a date to be fixed after summer vacation.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2023