By: Jamal Khurshid
Karachi: The Supreme Court on Saturday disposed of suo moto proceedings in the Shikarpur honour killing case following the perusal of a police progress report mentioning that the seven accused had been charged for their involvement in the murders of two women, after declaring them Kari.
The apex court’s three-member bench headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim heard the suo moto case regarding the jirga in Wazirabad town of Shikarpur district held to settle a tribal dispute over a Karo-Kari case.
Two women of the Mahar tribe — Shahnawaz alias Shani and Reema — had allegedly been killed by their families for having alleged illicit relations with men of the Jagirani tribe.
The Jagiranis were fined for a total sum of Rs2.4 million for “kidnapping” and “having illicit relations” with the women by a jirga, presided over by the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional MNA Ghous Bux Mahar, to settle a tribal dispute. Decision of the jirga had been accepted by both parties, however no one had been penalised for murdering the women.
The Shikarpur police submitted the progress report before the court stating that family members of the women, including their father and uncle — Abdullah Mahar and Sanaullah Mahar, respectively — were involved in the case.
According to the report, a fresh case was registered against the seven accused, including the former SHO Mohammad Siddique Shar, for their involvement and helping the accused to hide the crime. The Investigation Officer told the court that the seven accused had been charge sheeted before an anti-terrorism court, and three had also obtained bail.
The police said that a separate case was also registered against 12 accused including Ghous Bux Mahar, Sanaullah, Abdullah, Mehboob Ali, Mohammad Malook, Khalil Ahmed, Nawab Mahar, Syed Nadir Shah, Hadi Bux Jagirani, Ali Mohammad, Abdul Shakoor Jagirani and Haji Mushtaq Mahar for holding a jirga at the Lakhi Ghulam Shah police station in Shikarpur.
The court after perusal of the police progress report observed that as seven accused have been charge sheeted and the case was pending before the trial court, no further action was required in the suo moto proceedings and subsequently disposed of the case.
Detention cases
The Sindh High Court on Saturday directed the police and Rangers to file comments and joint investigation team’s report on petitions against detention of citizens, including government employees, allegedly by the personnel of law-enforcement agencies.
Petitioners Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Hanif, Amber Naeem, Farah Riaz, Roshan Bano, Mohammad Shamim Khan and Saba Obaid submitted that Mohammad Amin, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Bilal, Mohammad Sajid, Syed Mohammad Raza, Mohammad Naeem, Riazul Haq, Mohammad Yaseen and Obaid Feroz were picked up by the personnel of law-enforcement agencies from Quaidabad, Azizabad, Gulsitan-e-Jauhar, Saadi Town, Preedy, Landhi and Nazimabad areas and their whereabouts were unknown.
They said Mohammad Bilal, Mohammad Rizwan and Riazul Haq were government employees and they were not involved in any criminal activities.
The court was informed that in some cases, joint investigation teams had been constituted to ascertain the whereabouts of the detainees while in some cases the Rangers had sought time to file replies.
The SHC division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar directed the police and Rangers to file the progress report regarding whereabouts and recovery of the detainees if they were not in their custody.
Notices to SSPs on contempt plea
The Sindh High Court issued notices to SSP Khairpur, SSP Naushero Feroz and other officials of irrigation department in a contempt of court case.
The notices were issued on an application of Mureed Ali Shah who submitted that despite undertaking by the executive engineers of Khairpur and Naushero Feroz water will be supplied to the petitioner’s land till the tail end and illegal connections will be removed, no action had been taken by the authorities concerned.
The petitioner had filed an application against irrigation department officials for not taking action against illegal water connections at their land situated in Khairpur and Naushero Feroz districts.
The court issued notices to SSP Naushero Feroz and SSP Khairpur, and executive engineers of irrigation departments and others, directing them to submit their comments with regards to action taken against illegal water connections by August 10.
