KARACHI, Oct 23: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday expressed disappointment over the progress of investigation into the case of the missing accounts officer of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board allegedly linked with the assassination of Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Dr Imran Farooq in London.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Mushir Alam was seized with the petition of Bina Khalid, who sought the whereabouts of her husband, Khalid Shamim, the KWSB employee.

According to the petitioner, her husband has been missing since Jan 6, 2011. She stated in her petition that her husband had gone to draw money from an ATM at Malir Halt when personnel of law-enforcement agencies in two cars bearing official registration number plates whisked him away.

The petitioner stated that she along with her husband and their five-year-old son was going in their car when her husband pulled over near an ATM at Malir Halt to withdraw money.

She said that all of a sudden the LEAs personnel in two vehicles intercepted them and took him away.

She said she cried for help but none came to her husband’s rescue, while the police and Rangers were patrolling the area. She impleaded the interior secretary, the home secretary, the Rangers director-general, the city police chief and others as respondents.

The federal and provincial law-enforcement agencies, however, had denied arrest or detention of Mr Shamim and police officers investigating the case said that efforts were being made to recover the detainee and in this regard a joint investigation team had been constituted which was looking into the matter.

According to a progress report placed on record on the court’s order, the KWSB employee belonged to the MQM (A) and was involved in a murder case registered at the Model Colony police station.

The report stated that Khalid Shamim frequently travelled abroad during the past couple of years and the investigation officer had sent a letter to the Sri Lanka Airlines for obtaining the travel record of the missing man. However, the reply from the airline was still awaited.

Earlier, a provincial law officer submitted that the missing man might have gone underground or fled to a foreign country to escape any liability in the criminal case.

On Tuesday, the bench observed that the progress of the investigation in the matter was very disappointing. It recalled that time and again the court expressed dissatisfaction on the conduct of the inquiry and investigation and the copies of various orders in this regard were sent to the provincial police chief, but to no avail.

The bench was also visibly irked when it found no one from the prosecution side to inform the court regarding the progress of the cases against the missing man.

The court observed that it was earlier recorded that the missing man had frequently travelled abroad under different names, but so far no information was obtained from the Civil Aviation Authority and the FIA.

The bench ordered the deputy attorney general, Miran Muhammed Shah, to ensure that all information required to be collected by the investigation officer of the case should be provided before the next hearing on Nov 1.

The bench also ordered the payment of the missing man’s salaries to his wife after verification.