Missing Baloch Leader's Case

Abdul Ghaffar Lango, a Quetta-based BNP leader, visited a hospital in the Garden area on December 21 last year but he was picked up by personnel of the law enforcement agencies (LEAs).

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday summoned secretary interior to explain non-compliance of a court order pertaining to the alleged detention of a leader of the Balochistan National Party (BNP) from Karachi.

Petitioner Niaz Mohammad submitted that his brother Abdul Ghaffar Lango, a Quetta-based BNP leader, visited a hospital in the Garden area on December 21 last year but he was picked up by personnel of the law enforcement agencies (LEAs).

The petitioner's counsel Akhtar Hussain submitted that the whereabouts of his client's brother was not known since then. He prayed the court to direct LEAs to trace the whereabouts of the missing person.

The court had earlier directed the secretary interior to file affidavit after taking information from the intelligence agencies concerned but no affidavit was filed in the court despite the court direction.

The SHC's division bench headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim adjourning the matter summoned the secretary interior with explanation for non-compliance of the court order. Director Intelligence Bureau had earlier filed comments submitting that the petitioner's brother was neither arrested nor detained by the IB.

Businessman detention case: The Sindh High Court (SHC) disposed of a petition against the alleged detention of a businessman allegedly by personnel of the LEAs from the Karachi airport.

Ms Tahira Begum submitted that her son Saleem Shahzad, 34, was going to Lahore through a flight of Air Blue to meet his family on May 4 but personnel of LEAs kidnapped him from the premises of the airport.

The court was informed that the detention matter of the petitioner's son was also being dealt by the judicial commission probing the missing persons' cases.

The SHC's division bench headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim observed that since the matter of disappearance was already being dealt by the judicial commission, the petitioner may approach the court again if the grievance was not redressed and disposed of the petition on withdrawal by the petitioner counsel. The court, however, directed the Director General, Airport Security Force, to file affidavit in the petition regarding the alleged detention of petitioner's son from the Karachi airport.

Meanwhile, petitioners, who sought recovery of four other missing persons, expressed their no confidence in the judicial commission. The identical petitions for whereabouts of four persons were filed before the SHC and pending for the last one year.

The petitions said that four friends Sumat Gul, Abdul Hameed, Mohammad Iqbal and Ziauddin were allegedly arrested by LEAs on February 26, 2009 from Clifton and their whereabouts were still unknown. Their counsel Maqboolur Rehman said that all the detainees were friends and residents of Landhi, Manghopir, Sultanabad areas, had gone to Bagh Qasim. He said that when they were returning in a cab (PG-3905), they were intercepted by LEAs and taken to an undisclosed location.

The counsel said that the petitioners were of the view that agencies were involved in the detention of their sons.

The SHC's division bench headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim adjourned the matter till June 16.