KARACHI, May 15: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the provincial police chief, home secretary and the prosecutor general of Sindh to inform the court of a policy, if any, regarding qualification and training of police investigation officers.

Chief Justice Mushir Alam gave this direction while hearing applications of confirmation of bail filed by three defendants in an illegal confinement and attempted murder case.

The single bench observed that in a number of cases it had been noticed that the investigation of a case was not being carried out by qualified investigation officers. The court further observed that the qualification of an officer needed to be built up to the minimum international requirement with forensic qualification and investigation skills.

The court directed the home secretary to submit a policy, if any, with regard to the qualification of investigation officers, their tenure and arrangements for their training.

Meanwhile, the court dismissed the bail application of two defendants — Ebad and Ghulam Ghous — while confirmed the bail application of Mohammad Shafat.

Jail authorities told to produce inmate

The Sindh High Court directed the superintendent of the Karachi central prison to produce an inmate who was allegedly kept in illegal custody of the CID police before being arrested formally in a case.

A division bench headed by Justice Maqbool Baqar was seized with the petition of Khair Mohammad against the detention of his son, Shahid Babak, by CID officials.

The petitioner, represented by Advocate Salahuddin Gandapur, submitted in the petition that the CID officials arrested Shahid Babak on April 23 in Thatta, where he had gone to attend the wedding of a relative.

He impleaded CID SSP Chaudhry Aslam and others as respondents and submitted that his son was kept in illegal custody of the CID officials, who later showed his arrest during a fake police encounter.

The counsel submitted that the petitioner’s son was kept in illegal detention and later implicated in the case. He prayed to the court to order his release after recording his statement.

However, SSP Aslam filed his statement in the court denying the allegation of keeping the man in illegal detention.

He stated that Babak was a criminal belonging to the banned People’s Amn Committee and was absconding in a double murder case.

The SSP said the absconding suspect was arrested by the police following a shoot-out.

He prayed to the court to dismiss the petition as the detainee was now in judicial custody.

The bench issued a notice to the prison chief for producing the detainee in court on May 25.

Notice to prisons IG

The same bench put the provincial prisons chief, home secretary and others in a petition against the appointment of a junior grade officer as superintendent of the Hyderabad prison.

The petition was filed by Pir Shabbir Jan Serhandi, who submitted that the government appointed a grade 18 officer as superintendent of the Hyderabad prison while he was on leave.

He submitted that he moved an application for the cancellation of his leave and for joining his post, but the government appointed a junior officer in his place.

He prayed to the court to allow him to resume charge of the Hyderabad prison and set aside the posting of the junior officer.

The bench issued notices to the respondents and put off the hearing to May 21.