Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday directed the Inspector General Police (IGP) Sindh to appear in the next hearing of a case regarding missing of 23 children in the metropolis. The division bench of SHC headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulphoto also showed displeasure over performance of provincial police to recover missing children. During hearing, the court expressed serious concern over the missing of twenty children in Karachi and observed that police department's performance to recover them was disappointing.
Public prosecutor told the bench that twenty two FIRs have been registered about the missing children after an NGO complained that police is not registering cases of missing children. DIG Crime Ghulam Sarwar Jamali and other high officials of Sindh Police appeared in the hearing and told the court that a police team was formed to probe cases such cases on the orders of IGP Sindh. He stated that one missing child was recovered so far, which evoked sharp criticism from the bench who admonished police for recovering only one child out of twenty three.
"Working of Sindh Police is quite slow in recovering all the children, who went missing," Justice Phulphoto observed and urged that police authorities should ensure recovery of all the missing children as soon as possible.
Court also expressed its distrust in the police team constituted on the directives of IGP Sindh and ordered that IGP should revisit his earlier decision by constituting a new team to carryout investigations. Bench also expressed dissatisfaction over the working of Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) of Sindh into the recovery of missing children and directed DIG Crime to appear on every hearing of the case. "IGP should have appointed an able officer to probe the matter," court stated.
The SHC bench also directed IGP Police to appear in the bench in the next hearing to explain the police department's efforts for recovery of missing children. Court also directed Sindh Police to employ modern techniques and equipment to achieve the breakthrough in missing children case. Sindh Police was directed to submit a report within three weeks by recovering the missing children.