SHC admits plea for urgent hearing of petition regarding Pakistanis held in India

Karachi

The Sindh High Court on Wednesday granted an application for the urgent hearing of a petition seeking details of Pakistani citizens incarcerated in Indian prisons. 

The petitioner, the Ansar Burney Trust, submitted that major discrepancies were found in Indian and Pakistani governments’ reports on Pakistani prisoners held in Indian prisons. The petitioner’s counsel submitted that, as per the Pakistani government, 460 prisoners were detained in India, while the Indian government had only confirmed 271 prisoners in its prisons.

As per this information, a total of 189 prisoners were considered missing. The counsel expressed apprehension that these missing persons could be ‘misused’ in terrorism related activities and requested the court to direct the government to expedite efforts to ascertain the whereabouts of all the 189 prisoners.

He also filed a list of 17 prisoners who had completed their sentences in Indian jails, but were yet to be repatriated.

At an earlier hearing, the ministry of foreign affairs had informed the SHC that a letter on the issue of missing prisoners had been forwarded to Pakistan’s high commissioner in India, however, no particulars have been provided to look into the matter in detail.

A section officer of the interior ministry had submitted that no information regarding the missing 189 prisoners was received through any complaint or through any aggrieved families of such prisoners.

He submitted that the Pakistani High Commission in India had already taken up the issue with Indian authorities. The court had also directed the federal law officer to submit details of the total number of Pakistani prisoners who were handed over to the Indian High Commission, as well as a list of prisoners who were exchanged, within two weeks.

Larkana embezzled funds 

The SHC has constituted a committee to probe allegations of mass corruption in development funds set aside for Larkana.

The directives came on a petition by a citizen seeking an inquiry into the misappropriation of development funds of Larkana. The petitioner submitted that funds allocated for construction of roads had not been utilised by local authorities and several thoroughfares in different parts of Larkana remain in dilapidated conditions.

The court directed the committee to look into the matter and submit a report within a week.

Missing persons

The SHC issued notices to the Sindh Rangers director general, Sindh IGP and home secretary, directing them to submit comments on a petition seeking whereabouts of missing persons.

The SHC bench, headed by Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, had taken up petitions for the recovery of missing men, Amir Hussain and Rehan Akhtar.

Quratulain, the wife of Amir Hussain, had submitted that her spouse was picked up by personnel of law enforcement agencies on August 26 from their home in Jaffer Tayyar Society in Malir. She added that the personnel also took away valuable items, including mobile phones and a laptop, and the family had not been given any details of his whereabouts.

Separately, Nadeem Akhtar, the father of Rehan Akhtar, informed the court that his son was an employee at a private company and had never been involved in any criminal activity. He said Rehan had been picked up from his home in Gulbahar on July 21 by Rangers personnel.

The petitioners alleged that their relatives were in custody of law enforcers but their whereabouts were being withheld. Citing the Sindh DG Rangers, IGP Sindh and home secretary as respondents, the petitioners prayed the court to direct the respondents to produce the detainees before a court of law. The court issued notices to the deputy attorney general, advocate general Sindh and the cited respondents to file their comments at the next hearing scheduled for September 26.