KARACHI, Nov 4: The Sindh High Court asked the federal interior secretary and the Sindh home secretary on Thursday to personally appear on Nov 24 and make categorical statements in respect of the alleged arrest and confinement of a detainee.

A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad and Justice Maqbool Baqar, passed the order when Deputy Attorney- General Nadeem Azhar Siddiqui submitted that the alleged detainee, Abdul Karim Mehmood, had neither been arrested, nor detained by any federal agency, including the Intelligence Bureau, the Military Intelligence, the Federal Investigation Agency, the Rangers and the Anti-Narcotics Force. Additional Advocate-General Sarwar Khan had already submitted that the police did not arrest Mehmood and knew nothing about his whereabouts.

Petitioner Jamila Khatoon, Mehmood's wife, stated that he was picked up by a law-enforcement agency personnel from his residence in Federal 'B' Area on June 12 along with nine Jundullah activists wanted in the ambush on the (former) Karachi corps commander. He was held on suspicion of being Abu Moasab Arochi, a Kuwaiti nephew of Khalid Mohammad Shaikh who carries a cash award of $1 million announced by the US government.

The petitioner's counsel, Khwaja Naveed Ahmed, said Mehmood was related to Yusuf Ramzi and it was apprehended that he had been shifted outside Pakistan.

"The detainee is a human being. How can he disappear without leaving any trace or trail", the bench observed and adjourned further hearing to Nov 24.

Another petition against the alleged arrest and detention of Maulana Hidayatullah, imam of a mosque, was also adjourned to Nov 24. The alleged detainee's mother, Ms Khatamunnisa, stated that he was picked up on Aug 7 from his house in Usmania Colony, Gulbahar, and had not been seen since. Both the DAG and the AAG submitted in their reports that the no federal or provincial agency was aware of his whereabouts.

Another habeas corpus petition was adjourned by the bench to Nov 19 at the request of the petitioner's counsel. Advocate Maqboolur Rehman sought time for amending the petition to implead the Rangers and for correcting the date of arrest of Mohammad Siddique, a class VIII student.

Petitioner Mohammad Akhtar alleged that his son, Siddique, was picked up by a law-enforcement agency personnel following a raid conducted on his house for the arrest of his elder son, Mohammad Ishaq, for his suspected links with a militant organization. Akhtar said the personnel asked him to surrender Ishaq or inform them of his whereabouts failing which, they threatened, Siddique would not be released. He said no case was registered against either of his sons.

He was prepared to assist in his elder son's arrest if the police informed him of the charge against him.