HYDERABAD: No lawyer, barring the one booked by police last year, is found involved in narcotic trade, a report based on a police inquiry has declared. The Hyderabad police had held the inquiry on an order passed earlier by the Sindh High Court on a petition filed by Advocate Waheed Karan Shoro.

Outgoing Hyderabad SSP Amjad Shaikh (who has since been transferred to Sukkur) submitted his inquiry team’s report before the SHC on Thursday. The court adjourned the matter to June 7.

The petitioner had claimed that a number of advocates were involved in drug trade; and prayed the court to order formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) to look into the matter. He had also prayed postponement of bar elections until submission of the JIT report.

The petitioner later amended his prayer and sought court’s directive to SSP Amjad Shaikh for a comprehensive report regarding registration of cases ‘ice trade’ along with names of suspects.

Report submitted in SHC mentions only case of Advocate Anwar Sangi registered last year

On April 18, a division bench of Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit, comprising Justice Shamsuddin Abbasi and Justice Amjad Ali Sahito had ordered SSP Shaikh to hold an inquiry into the petitioner’s allegations.

SSP Shaikh informed the bench that he had constituted a probe committee headed by the SP Headquarters with CIA DSP and Cantonment DSP being its other members. The committee submitted its report on May 13, he stated. According to SSP’s report, a meeting was held on April 30 with regard to the matter of inquiry and petitioner Advocate Shoro was invited to produce all relevant documents or record regarding his claims.

The report said that Advocate Shoro spoke at length reiterating contents of his petition. He [the petitioner] contended that he had not asked for an inquiry by SSP but for an investigation by a JIT. It said that the petitioner was asked to provide names of the advocates and concrete evidence of their involvement in narcotic trade. Except for Advocate Anwar Sangi, who was booked at the Bhitai Nagar police station last year vide FIR No. 50/23 following alleged recovery of ‘ice’ (narcotic substance) from his possession, the petitioner failed to give the name of any other advocate. Nor did he provide any evidence in this regard, the report added.

The report stated that the probe committee viewed the SSP’s April 25, 2024 letter sent to the presidents of the High Court Bar Association and Hyderabad District Bar Association to seek information, if any, about involvement of any other advocate in narcotics trade. Both of them replied that they did not have any such information nor had they received any such complaint.

According to the SSP’s report, the inquiry committee called reports from all SHOs of Hyderabad with directives to provide data, evidence or information on the subject matter but their reports also mentioned the only case of Advocate Anwar Sangi.

It said that the committee also conducted a secret inquiry but found no evidence of any other advocate’s involvement in narcotics trade.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2024