LARKANA: Sindh High Court’s Larkana Constitutional Bench on Friday asked the home department, inspector general of police and all 17 other respondents for complete record / details of all FIRs registered or pending against Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi.

Jatoi heads his National Peoples Party (NPP) and is also a key leader of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA). He was arrested on Feb 17 from outside the Shaheed Benazirabad district and sessions court on his arrival to seek bail in a case registered against him. Although he was granted bail by the sessions court, Jatoi was arrested by the Naushahro Feroze police in a murder case registered against him at the Moro police station one year ago. The police claimed that the Naushahro Feroze Anti-Terrorism Court had issued non-bailable warrants for his arrest. However, instead of producing him in the ATC, police shifted Jatoi to the Nara prison in Hyderabad on, what they claimed, “IGP’s directive” for unknown reasons.

On Friday, Jatoi’s spouse, Noveen Jatoi, approached the Sindh High Court through Advocates Mohammad Omar Soomro, Safdar Ali G. Bhutto and Abdul Haseeb Qazi. She submitted in court that her husband was being booked in numerous politically motivated cases and had currently been detained in Nara prison. She prayed that her husband should be provided protection from arrest in any further case without SHC’s prior permission.

The bench comprising Justice Muhammad Saleem Jessar and Justice Adnan-ul-Karim took up the matter on Friday and heard the petitioners’ counsel.

Notices issued to home department, IGP and 17 other respondents for March 13 on petition filed by detained leader’s spouse

The counsel submitted that their client’s husband, Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi, had been booked in numerous politically motivated cases. They prayed to the court to grant him protection from arrest in any further case without the court’s prior permission under Article 199 of the Constitution.

In its interim order, the bench said that the plea “seems to be reasonable and is acceded to”.

It issued notices to the additional advocate general, additional prosecutor general, home secretary, Sindh IGP, IG prisons, AIG Karachi, DIGs of Larkana and Hyderabad, SSPs of Larkana, Hyderabad and South Karachi, SP of the Nara prison and other respondents for March13, 2025.

The order said: “If the petitioner’s husband is not shown to be arrested in three impugned FIRs he shall not be arrested”, and directed the respondents to submit complete record / details of all FIRs registered or pending against him.

The counsel had earlier informed the bench that the petitioner’s husband had been arrested in FIR No. 111/2024 registered at the Mitho Dero police station for offence under Sections 324, 353, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and was subsequently granted bail by a court having jurisdiction. They said that he [Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi] was also falsely implicated in another FIR, No. 78/2024, of the Moro police station under Sections 302, 324, 114, 337-A (i), F(i), H-(2), 336, 147,148 and 149 of the PPC, read with Section 6/7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. Due to the registration of a series of false FIRs, the petitioner apprehended that her husband might be arrested in the three such FIRs, they submitted. They prayed that unless other side was put on notice, the operation of the three impugned FIRs be suspended.

The court observed that the petitioner’s lawyers were heard. “The petitioner’s counsel stated that the petitioner’s husband was arrested in another case and granted bail but no arrest memo or record of his arrest in the impugned FIRs has been presented. Therefore, he is not currently before the court and no release order can be issued,” the bench observed.

It noted that “the three impugned FIRs [02/2025 PS Dokri, 09/2025 PS Badah and 17/2025 PS Hingorja] are under investigation which cannot be hampered. Besides, FIR registered with PS Hingorja is beyond the territorial jurisdiction of this court.”

The court also noted that the counsel could not controvert the legal position that whether the quashment of the impugned three FIRs could be sought through one petition; whether the reliefs sought for could be granted, more particularly when the accused, as admitted, had already been detained.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2025