KARACHI, Sept 13: The Sindh High Court on Thursday once again expressed its displeasure over the conduct of investigation officers (IOs) in the cases of missing persons and directed the provincial police chief to take disciplinary action against the delinquent officers.
A division bench that was seized with the petitions for the recovery of over two dozen missing persons also expressed its concern over the increasing number of complaints against the Rangers for allegedly arresting and keeping people in illegal detention.
The bench headed by Sindh High Court Chief Justice Mushir Alam asked the Pakistan Rangers to evolve “some grievance redressal mechanism” so that it might increase the level of public confidence in the law-enforcement agency.
While hearing a petition against the illegal detention of a resident of Korangi Town, Asif Iqbal, the bench became irritated when it did not find the investigation officer present in court to answer its queries.
“It is expected that the IGP will take disciplinary action against the delinquent officer”, the court observed.
Petitioner Masood Hasan had moved the SHC through a constitutional petition seeking whereabouts of his brother.
He submitted in the petition that his brother had left their residence on June 21, 2011 on his motorcycle, but never returned.
The petitioner alleged that his brother was picked up by the law-enforcers who were keeping him in their illegal custody.
He impleaded the home secretary, the Korangi police and the chiefs of the Crime Investigation Department (CID), the Inter-Services Intelligence, the Military Intelligence and the Intelligence Bureau as respondents.
The bench directed the DIG concerned to obtain information from the cellular companies as requested by the investigation officer without any delay and put off the hearing.
During the hearing of another case, the bench observed that the Pakistan Rangers may make a mechanism to redress grievances of the people against the paramilitary force.
The case pertained to the disappearance of a man who was said to be missing since May 13, 2011.
Petitioner Sajid Rahim alleged that his brother was in illegal detention of Bhittai Rangers 71-Wing.
The respondent Rangers officials filed their statements denying to having kept the missing man in their custody.
The court directed the Rangers officials to clarify whether the man was picked up by them or not.
The same bench directed the federal government law officer to submit an affidavit of a respondent army officer in a missing person case by the next date of hearing.
The court was seized with the petition of Zia Iqbal against the detention of his son Azhar Iqbal, who was allegedly taken into custody by law-enforcers on May 7, 2011.
DSP (east) Akhtar Rizvi appeared in court to inform the court that he visited the Malir cantonment to inquire about the respondent army officers, Brig Huda and Col Gulistan.
He said that he was told by the cantonment authorities that the brigadier had retired in March 2008, and therefore his involvement in the detention was ruled out as the missing person was allegedly picked in 2011.
However, he did not say a word about Col Gulistan.
Meanwhile, a cellular company, Telenor, informed the court that they only kept call data of past 360 days in their record.
The bench was hearing a petition seeking whereabouts of two men, who were allegedly picked by personnel of law-enforcement agencies on April 17, 2011. The bench put off
the hearing of the cases of missing persons to Sept 27.—Staff Reporter