Karachi: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday issued notice to additional chief secretary, home department, inspector general of prisons, inspector general of police, and superintendent of jail in a petition filed by Ajmal Pahari, challenging his detention by police.

Petitioner Ajmal alias Pahari son of Manzoor Hussain cited Waseem Ahmed, additional chief secretary home department, inspector general of prisons, inspector general of police, and superintendent of central jail Karachi as respondents.

Petitioner through his counsel submitted that he has been in detention under section 3 (1) of the West Pakistan Maintenance of Public Ordinance, 1960 since 20-9-2012 due to presumptuous reasons without any justification or validity.

He submitted that due to various political and establishment enmities, he has been victimized and involved in countless heinous crimes relating to murders, etc, which have brought an unending pile of criminal cases which were fabricated and concocted against him.

He stated that he has so far been implicated in 15 cases and the possibility of being further implicated in others cases is also of a serious concern for the petition.

He submitted that he was arrested on 18-3-2011 and has been acquitted from eleven charges of criminal crimes, adding he has been granted bail in four remaining cases, even after acquittal he has been illegally and without lawful authority detained by not constituting a Board under Section 5 (9) of Maintenance of Public Ordinance.

He said that he was first placed in detention by the order of Waseem Ahmed on 20-9-12 for a period of 30 days; subsequently order was again passed on 18-10-12 for extension for further 30 days. Later, again order dated 16-11-12 was passed and then on 18-12-12 extending detention tenure.

He said under detention for a period of more than 100 days now and no substantive grounds have yet been produced by the detaining authority making such detention void and unlawful.

He prayed to court to set aside impugned orders of detention as it is in gross violation of Articles 4, 14, 15, 19 and 25 of the Constitution, and respondents be restrained from registration any other case and arresting the petition in any other blind FIR as has been done before without first obtaining permission from this court.

Headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shash, the division benches issued notice to the respondents as well as Advocate General Sindh and put off the hearing till the date decided by office of the court.