KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday directed police to register FIRs for two missing leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London.

A two-judge bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput also directed petitioners to approach the police station concerned in order to lodge their cases for the two missing persons.

It further directed the SHO of Sachal to register the cases verbatim and submit copies of FIRs at the next hearing.

Citing the Ministry of Interior, director general of Rangers Sindh, provincial police chief and others as respondents, petitioner Hassan Nisar contended that his father, Nisar Panhwar, along with his friend Anwar Tareen, was picked up on Sept 16 by the law enforcement agencies after they left the house of Mr Panhwar in Saadi Town, and since then, their whereabouts were unknown.

Ex-MNA Nisar Panhwar and his friend were ‘picked up‘ last month, the bench told

The wife of Mr Tareen also filed an identical petition in the SHC and pleaded for the recovery of her husband.

When the petitions came up for hearing on Tuesday, the police officials contended that the SHO of Sachal police station had contacted the petitioners, but they had failed to appear at the police station to lodge the FIRs.

The counsel for the petitioner Hassan Nisar asserted that the police had raided the house of the petitioner a few days ago in order to arrest him. Initially, the petitioner did not turn up, but appeared later as the court asked his counsel to ensure his presence.

The bench in its orders noted that, as per police reports, both the petitioners have not approached the SHO to lodge FIRs.

The bench asked the petitioners to lodge FIRs for their missing father and husband, respectively.

In case the petitioners approach the SHO of Sachal police station, he shall lodge FIRs in verbatim, it added.

The bench further directed the SHO to come up with copies of both FIRs on November 18.

Earlier, the son of Mr Panhwar in his petition had also contended that his father had been a victim of enforced disappearances on multiple occasions by law enforcement agencies, and it was the fourth such incident, highlighting a pattern of illegal abductions targeting political dissidents.

The petitioner further maintained that Mr Panhwar had served as a Member of the National Assembly from 2003 to 2007 and the Provincial Assembly of Sindh from 2008 to 2013.

He submitted that his father was an elderly individual and known to be suffering from diabetes, which required consistent and specialised care, while the petitioner had approached the police to locate the whereabouts of his father, but to no avail.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2025