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KARACHI, July 2: A division bench of the Sindh High Court issued notices for July 23 to the respondent police and anti-corruption establishment (ACE) officers in a writ petition moved by an elder of the Tessori family against alleged persecution and victimisation of its members by the government functionaries.
Ms Zaitoon Begum, wife of Mirza Mohammad Ishaq Baig, alleged that her son-in-law, Akhtar Khan Tessori, and his sons, including Kamran Khan, were being threatened and harassed by the police and ACE functionaries.
Akhtar Tessori was first picked up from the residence of Hameed Qidwai, a family friend, on June 15 by plainclothes men that came in a police van. He was taken to Badin and told to pay Rs30 million to Gul Mohammad Laat, said to be an adviser to the chief minister on inquiries and anti-corruption establishment, within 24 hours on the pain of registration of criminal cases.
Akhtar Tessori managed to pay the amount but was not freed. He had to pay another Rs30 million to win his freedom. The petition reproduced a letter addressed to President Pervez Musharraf recounting the whole episode and his and his family’s ordeal. The petition sought a direction to the police and the ACE to produce a list of cases or FIRs and inquiries pending against Akhtar, Kamran and other members of the Tessori family.
It also requested the court to restrain the respondent agencies from arresting any member of the family on cooked-up charges. The court’s permission should be sought if their arrest was required in a case. Besides, the ACE should be asked to observe the Sindh Enquiries and Anti-Corruption Rules, 1993, in conducting investigations. The members of the family should be allowed to live at their residences and conduct their business undisturbed.
The petition cites the chief secretary, the home secretary, the inspector-general of police, the town police officers of Clifton, Saddar and Keamari and the ACE chairman as respondents. A division bench consisting of Justices Mrs Yasmin Abbasy and Bin Yamin issued notices in the petition.
Unnar’s petition
The bench, meanwhile, adjourned the hearing of a petition moved by Ghulam Rasul Unnar, former MPA and a minister in the provincial caretaker cabinet. He said he was elected MPA thrice and was subjected to harassment by the new provincial government. The district police officer of Sukkur testified that no case against the petitioner had been registered in the district. The Hyderabad district officer earlier deposed that several cases, including those involving the offence of murder and attempt to murder, were pending against the petitioner. The hearing was adjourned for comments by other DPOs.
Appeal dismissed
Another division bench comprising Justices Rana M. Shamim and Ghulam Dastgir A. Shahani dismissed an appeal filed by Mohammad Arif, a former UBL cashier who was sentenced to seven-year rigorous imprisonment by a special court for misappropriating Rs900,000 out of public utility bills. He returned an amount of Rs700,000. He was granted bail pending the hearing of his appeal after serving five years. Dismissing his appeal, the bench asked him to serve the remaining two years of his sentence.
