KARACHI, July 29: The Sindh High Court on Friday ordered the chief of the Larkana central prison to submit in court a comprehensive report regarding the search operation recently conducted in the penitentiary.

A division bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed was seized with the hearing of a constitutional petition of a prisoner’s mother against the jail authorities.

Petitioner Janul, represented by Hakim Ali Khan, submitted that her son, Abdul Qadir Chandio alias Khasho Chandio, was in Larkana jail where he and other inmates were being tortured and maltreated by the jail authorities.

She impleaded the chief secretary, the home secretary, the inspector general of prisons, the superintendent and the deputy superintendent of the Larkana jail as respondents.

She alleged that the jail authorities had started harassing and humiliating the jail inmates for the past one month.

The petitioner stated that the jail staff opened fire on the prisoners and many of them were seriously wounded in the so-called operation.

She submitted in her petition that the wounded inmates were not being provided any medical treatment nor were they sent to hospital for treatment.The woman alleged that that the jail authorities were demanding money from the prisoners and those who failed to bribe them were being tortured and transferred to other prisons in the province.

She prayed to the court to restrain the jail authorities from their illegal acts and direct them to provide the jail inmates all facilities under the prison rules.

The woman also prayed to the court to order an inquiry into the affairs of the jail by a retired judge of the high court.

The bench issued notices to the respondents, the Advocate General and the Prosecutor General and put off the hearing to Aug 16. The bench also directed the Larkana jail chief to give complete details of the prisoners who were shifted from the prison.

The jail chief was also directed to inform the court about the medical treatment given to the injured inmates.

The bench ordered the jail chief to inform the court of the current law and order status of the prison.

MI told to file report in ‘missing’ man case

The same bench directed the Quaidabad police to register the FIR of a missing man.The bench was hearing the petition of Fazal Rahim, who alleged that his 22-year-old son Sajjad Rahim had been picked up by the Bhittai Rangers 71 in Sherpao colony on May 13 and his whereabouts remained unknown to date.

The bench also directed the Military Intelligence to file a comprehensive report regarding the alleged detainee within two weeks and adjourned the hearing to Aug 19.

Youth murder case

The statement of accused in the Sarfraz Shah killing case could not be recorded on Friday as the presiding officer of the Anti-Terrorism Court No.1 did not come to court.