The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a petition accusing Special Investigation Unit (SIU) officials of kidnapping a citizen of Karachi and demanding ransom.
The case is linked to a recent incident of mistreatment in custody by the SIU. At least seven SIU officers were suspended after Irfan allegedly died as a result of torture while in custody. Public protests, including the roadblock outside the Edhi Mortuary, highlighted widespread concern over the unit’s practices.
The petition, filed by Mushtaq Ali Shah, alleged that SIU personnel kidnapped him and detained him in a private torture cell at the SIU Center. Shah demanded an investigation into the incident and asked the court to order the Inspector General of Sindh (IG) to investigate, as well as obtain details from the provincial interior ministry regarding the legal basis for the establishment of the SIU.
Read: Seven Karachi police officers suspended after youth dies while in SIU custody
During Tuesday’s proceedings, Special Branch Additional Inspector General (AIG) Zulfiqar Larik, Criminal Investigation Agency (CIA) Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Muqaddas Haider and Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amjad Sheikh appeared before the court.
The judges questioned the legal status of the SIU, asking: “Under what law was the SIU created? Was this unit created for torture?”
Responding to the question, Additional IG Larik said the SIU was established under Section 8 of the Police Ordinance 2002.
The court observed that it had earlier sought reports regarding arrest notes, detention procedures and compliance with guidelines for medical examinations every 48 hours. “There are clear laws regarding detention, have they been respected? » asked the court.
The lawyer for the detained SIU officials, advocate Amir Mansoor Qureshi, argued that the victim died of a heart attack and the SHC had no jurisdiction to hear the case.
To this, the court warned, “Please do not try to dictate the court. There are judgments which direct the Sindh IG to ensure that there is no torture cell.”
Larik said departmental investigations were regularly conducted in accordance with the law. Qureshi, however, noted that “no other court has passed as many orders against police officials as this one”, prompting the bench to clarify that it had “nothing personal against anyone”.
Learn more: Seven SIU officials suspended following citizen’s death from ‘torture’ in detention
Qureshi further said that the forensic officer (MLO) confirmed that there were no signs of torture on the body of the deceased.
The court then asked: “Do you approve of torture in custody?” »
Larik responded that the case had already been transferred to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for investigation.
“In my opinion, the SIU should be completely dissolved,” the judge remarked during the proceedings.
However, lawyer Qureshi warned that the dissolution of the unit could revive extortion practices targeting traders.
After hearing all parties, the SHC reserved its verdict.
