The Sindh High Court (SHC) ordered the release-on-bail of nationalist leader Akhtiar Chandio on Friday in both the cases he is implicated in.
Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) leader Chandio was allegedly in the illegal confinement of Khairpur police from March 2011 and his wife Sakina had filed a constitutional petition against his detention.
On August 16, the SHC bench ordered Khairpur SSP Irfan Baloch to present Akhtiar Chandio and Qamber DSP Qadir Chandio – who had allegedly confined him – before the court and if he failed to do so, he and the DSP could be arrested.
After the court order, the Ghotki police said that they had arrested Chandio in two cases – possession of an explosive substance and illegal weapons.
On Friday, the counsel of Akhtiar Chandio told the court about the development. The division bench including Justice Maqbool Baqar and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi ordered that the detainee be released on bail.
During the last hearing, SSP Jan Muhammad appeared before the court on behalf of Khairpur SSP Irfan Baloch and informed the court that the SSP was busy in security arrangements for the Sachal Sarmat festival, which the chief minister and other important personalities were supposed to attend.
The court snubbed his explanation and issued directives to both police officials to appear before the court in person in the next hearing and if they failed to comply with the directives, they would face disciplinary action and could be sent to jail.
The petitioner had submitted that her husband was travelling from Karachi to Khairpur on March 16, 2011 in a bus. At the Khairpur bypass, a police party headed by Qamber DSP Abdul Qadir Chandio took him away.
