HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit, on Tuesday directed the standing counsel for the deputy attorney general to file the comments of Sindh Rangers director general and their Hyderabad sector commander on a constitutional petition pertaining to alleged arrest of a Muttahida Qaumi Movement activist, Nadeem Qazi.

The petition was filed by Qazi`s brother Humairuddin through his counsel, Advocate Aslam Pervez, stating that Qazi was picked up by Rangers personnel on May 24 and since then his whereabouts were not known.

The bench comprising Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Anwar Hussain asked the DAG`s standing counsel to five the Rangers offi-cials` comments by June 23.

Hussainabad DSP Ghulam Hussain Mastoi, who was assigned the task of locating Qazi under a court order, informed the bench that he could not locate him.

Additional Advocate General Allah Bachayo Soomro submitted in court that Qazi was not picked up by police. He filed statements of the Hyderabad DIG and SSP denying the arrest.

Advocate Pervez informed the bench that some witnesses were present when Qazi was picked up by agencies` personnel in plain clothes.

`They were carrying official guns and riding double cabin vehicles,` he said.

The bench directed the Hussainabad DSP to continue his efforts to locate Qazi and asked the DAG`s standing counsel to file comments of respondents No.5 and 6 (Rangers` DG and their Hyderabad sector commander) by June 23.The DIG in his statement prayed to court to remove him from the list of respondents arguing that necessary directives had been issued to the SHO of the B-Section police station of Latifabad and the official in charge of the Hyderabad CIA to appear in court along with the relevant record.

The Hyderabad SSP had also been directed to file his para-wise comments, he stated.

The SSP in his comments stated that the petitioner did not approach police to get his grievance addressed. He said legal protection would be provided to the petitioner upon his request.

He quoted from the petition that Qazi was arrested by a contingent of Rangers and police during a raid at the [Hyderabadj Board of Intermediate and Secondary E ducation (BISE).

The official in charge of the Hyderabad CIA also filed his statement denying that Qazi was arrested by CIA personnel.