The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday reserved its judgment on a petition accusing Special Investigation Unit (SIU) officials of abducting a Karachi citizen and demanding ransom.
The case is related to a recent SIU detention incident. At least seven SIU officers were suspended after Irfan allegedly died of torture while in their custody. Public protests, including a road blockade outside the mortuary in Edhi, underscored 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 centre. Shah sought an inquiry into the incident and asked the court to order the Sindh Inspector General (IG) to investigate the matter, as well as obtain details from the provincial home ministry regarding the legal basis for the SIU’s formation.
Read: Seven Karachi police officers suspended after youth die in SIU custody
During Tuesday’s proceedings, Additional Inspector General (AIG) of Special Branch Zulfiqar Larik, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Muqaddas Haider and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) Amjad Sheikh appeared before the court.
Questioning the legal status of the SIU, the bench asked, “Under which law was the SIU formed? Was this unit created for torture?”
Responding to the query, Additional IG Larik said the SIU had been established under Article 8 of the Police Ordinance, 2002.
The court noted that it had previously sought reports on arrest notes, detention procedures and compliance with medical examination guidelines every 48 hours. “There are clear laws about detention, were they followed?” asked the court.
Counsel for the detained SIU officials, Advocate Amir Mansoor Qureshi, argued that the victim had died of a heart attack and that the SHC had no jurisdiction to hear the case.
On this, the bench warned, “Please do not try to dictate the court. There are judgments directing the Sindh IG to ensure that torture cells do not exist.”
Larik said department inquiries were routinely conducted in accordance with the law. However, Qureshi noted that “no other court has issued as many orders against police officials as this,” prompting the court to clarify that it held “nothing personally against anyone.”
Read more: Seven SIU officials suspended over citizen’s death by ‘torture’ in custody
Qureshi further stated that the Legal Officer (MLO) had 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 replied that the case had already been transferred to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for investigation.
“The way I see it, the SIU should be disbanded entirely,” the judge noted during the proceedings.
However, lawyer Qureshi warned that disbanding the unit could revive extortion rackets targeting traders.
After hearing all sides, the SHC reserved its verdict.
