KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has directed the inspector general of police (IGP) to file a comprehensive report on a petition seeking an inquiry into the killing of three arrested suspects in an alleged encounter.

Last month, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said the held suspects, who were associated with the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), led the law enforcers to a house in Shah Latif Town, where their accomplices started firing on the police, killing the three men.

A signal-judge SHC bench, headed by Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon, issued notices to the home secretary, IGP, several senior officials of the CTD and other respondents as well as the advocate general, deputy attorney general and prosecutor general Sindh for the next hearing.

The court also ordered the DIG of Special Branch to be in attendance on March 16 to assist the court without fail.

Petitioner says police claimed his son and two others were killed in crossfire in Shah Latif Town last month; SHC issues notices for 16th

Petitioner Muhammad Ali submitted that his son, Hamdan, along with Jalil and Niaz, was in police custody and that they were killed in an alleged police encounter on Feb 17 in Shah Latif Town.

He submitted that as per the CTD DIG, the arrested suspects were brought to a place to point out an alleged hideout of suspected terrorists who opened fire on the raiding team and, as a result, the arrested suspects were killed during the crossfire.

The petitioner sought an impartial inquiry into the incident, action against police officials responsible for “custodial deaths” and the formation of standard operating procedure for the future to ensure the safety of detained suspects and undertrial prisoners during raids.

Representing the petitioner, Advocate Muhammad Jibran Nasir argued before the bench that the petition was filed over the custodial death of the petitioner’s son and two others as they were admittedly in police custody in four cases and were killed in an alleged encounter.

He also submitted that the victim/petitioner’s son had gone missing on Dec 29 and was subsequently shown arrested in a case during the pendency of habeas corpus proceedings while on Feb 6, an antiterrorism court had remanded him and two others in police custody till Feb 19.

The lawyer contended that the respondents themselves have admitted that the victims were handcuffed and in police custody at the time of the purported encounter and did not attempt to escape, thereby raising serious doubts about the official narrative of the incident.

He maintained that the petitioner was neither informed about the death nor provided post-mortem and medico-legal reports.

Initially, the police had denied custody of the body while the available medico-legal certificate indicated injuries inconsistent with the respondents’ version, further casting doubt on the purported police encounter, he added.

He also argued that the death of the victims squarely came within the definition of custodial death under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act 2022, mandating an independent inquiry and departmental proceedings within seven days. However, no such inquiry has been initiated yet.

The counsel further stated that the continued inaction and intimidation of the petitioner constituted violations of fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 4, 9, 10, 14 and 25 of the Constitution, warranting intervention of the SHC.

After a preliminary hearing, the bench said issued notices and stated: “Meanwhile, inspector general of police Sindh is directed to submit a comprehensive report through DIGP Special Branch, Special Headquarters, Keamari, Karachi who shall also be in attendance on the next date of hearing to assist this Court without fail.”

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2026