KARACHI, May 25: The Sindh High Court asked the Sindh Police to pay Rs20,000 as costs for failing to submit comments on a petition alleging arrest of a person in July 2006. Petitioner Zaibunnisa of police station Radhan, Taluka Mehar, district Dadu, submitted through Advocate Fareed A. Dayo that her husband, Mohammad Ibrahim alias Ashiq Ali Khoso, took up a chowkidar’s job at a private residence in Bilal Colony, district East, Karachi, and shifted to Karachi along with her early in 2006.

On July 12, 2006, a heavy police contingent in some 20 vans raided their house and took away her husband. Nothing is known about him since despite the repeated inquiries made by her. She requested the court to order Ibrahim’s production. He might have been tortured in illegal custody.

The ministry of interior and the Rangers denied having ordered the arrest or detention of Ibrahim. The police were also asked to submit its comments but failed to comply. As the petition came up before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Gulzar Ahmed, acting Advocate-General Masood Noorani said he took over charge recently and had not been able to obtain complete instructions. He sought time to produce the requisite information.

The bench regretted that a petition involving liberty of a citizen had been pending since August 2006 without any comments by the respondent police force. It allowed adjournment subject to payment of Rs20,000 as costs.

Meanwhile, petitions against alleged unlawful detention could not be taken up by another bench consisting of Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Sain Ali Dino Metlo.

One of the petitioners, Ms Humaira Ali has submitted through Advocate Chaudhry Mohammad Iqbal that her husband, Maulvi Ali Mohammad, was picked from their Gulshan-i-Iqbal residence on May 5, 2004. She moved a petition and the court ordered registration of an FIR. She said her complaint had not been registered so far by police.