London – 31 December 1999
Yet, once again the Government has failed to
produce Dr Farooq Sattar in the Sindh High Court. According to
details, today on 31 December 1999, the Sindh High Court had
fixed the hearing on the habeas corpus constitutional petition
filed by Mr Abdul Sattar Peerani, father of Dr Farooq Sattar.
Earlier on 27 and 29 December 1999, the government failed to
produce Dr Farooq Sattar, therefore, the court ordered the
representatives of the Sindh Government to inform the court of
the whereabouts of Dr Farooq Sattar and fixed 31 December 1999 as
the date for next hearing.
The court hearing began at around
10.45 am Pakistan time, the Deputy Attorney General appeared on
behalf of the Government of Sindh whereas Mr Aftab Ahmed Sheikh
Advocate, Mr K M Nadeem Advocate and Mr Iqbal Quadri Advocate
represented Mr Abdul Sattar Peerani. The Deputy Attorney General
once again failed to produce Dr Farooq Sattar and was unable to
inform the court of his whereabouts. The hearing has been
adjourned until 3 January 2000. Today the High Court Bench
consisted of two new Judges as the previous Honourable Judges
have gone on winter vacation. The presiding High Court Bench
issued orders to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to send
their representatives on 3 January 2000 to clarify their position
concerning the detention of Dr Farooq Sattar and inform the court
of the details of cases against him. The Deputy Attorney General
was also ordered by the Bench to contact the Corps Commander for
information on the whereabouts of Dr Farooq Sattar. It is
surprising to note that on the one hand, the High Court Bench has
summoned the representatives of NAB and on the other, they have
instructed the Deputy Attorney General to contact the Corps
Commander.
Earlier the court had also ordered
the Government to arrange a meeting of Dr Farooq Sattar with his
lawyers, which has also not been fulfilled so far thus denying
him of his legal and constitutional right.
More than a month has passed since
the arrest of Dr Farooq Sattar and the Government has not
produced him before any courts and he his being held in
incommunicado and unlawful detention. The unlawful and
unconstitutional detention of Dr Farooq Sattar is tantamount to
the denial of his fundamental and constitutional rights.
Furthermore, the continual non-production of Dr Farooq Sattar at
the Sindh High Court for the third time within four days is a
total disregard to the judicial system.
It should be recalled that in
November 1999, the local administration and the law enforcement
personnel raided the house of Dr Farooq Sattar to arrest him.
During this raid, his house was ransacked and his personal
assistant was severely tortured and arrested. On 26 November 1999,
at the Karachi Press Club Dr Farooq Sattar addressed a press
conference and presented himself for voluntary arrest. Since then,
he is being kept in unlawful and illegal detention and until now,
he has not been produced in any court of Pakistan.
Dr Farooq Sattar is the Member of
MQM Central Co-ordination Committee, the Parliamentary Leader of
the MQM in the suspended Provincial Assembly of Sindh and the
former Mayor of Karachi.