KARACHI: Police and law enforcing agencies have failed to recover Syed Owais Ali Shah son of Syed Sajjad Ali Shah, Chief Justice of High Court of Sindh who was abducted on Monday from Agha Super Market, Clifton, Karachi at around 02:30 pm while he was leaving after shopping.
According to eye witnesses, Barrister Owais Shah was abducted by four persons who have muffled faces and wearing hats to hide their identity. Wearing shalwar Qameez, they had a scuffle with Owais Shah but they succeeded in pushing Shah into a Toyota Corolla car having a fake number plate of Sindh Police.
The incident was brought to the notice of the police as his cell phone was found off by the family. As soon as the identity of the abductee was known, police and administration went into action. The exit and entry points of Karachi were sealed within next few hours and a large scale hunt for the vehicle and abductee was launched during which dozens of places were raided, dozens of suspects were rounded up. Police also secured the call data of the abductees phone and also secured footages from different spots. Neither the vehicles, nor the men could be found.
Sindh police and Pakistan Rangers stepped up patrolling in the city and started snap checking. Director General Rangers, Commandant Special Security Unit (SSU) visited the place of incident to have first hand knowledge of the incident. The day however dawned with a high level meeting at Chief Minister House presided by Syed Qaim Ali Shah and also attended by Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal. Whether it is a case of kidnapping for ransom or an effort to undermine the judiciary, it is intolerable, Shah was quoted to have said in the meeting about motive behind the abduction. He expressed extreme concern and anger over the law and order situation in Karachi and in whole of Sindh. He also asked the Sindh Police Chief to speed up efforts for safe recovery of the abductee.
Sindh Rangers later in the day announced a reward of 2.5 million for any information about the abductee. Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif taking notice of abduction asked Attorney General Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali to personally monitor the efforts for recovery of the son of Chief Justice Sindh.
Meanwhile intelligence agencies and law enforcers have started investigations from all angles. The case being heard by Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and cases handled by Barrister Owais Shah were under scrutiny and all other angles are being examined by the LEA, sources told Custom News.
One of the intelliegence agency believes that it was a well-planned act , committed after monitoring the routine of the abductee and it may be linked to forces which earlier abducted Shahbaz Taseer, son of Governor Punjab Salman Taseer and Ali Haider Gilani son of former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.
Maula Bux Chandio, Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister on Information while talking to media said that abduction was an attempt to influence the judiciary as Judiciary in recent past and now a days performed well and brought improvement in the judicial system which was intolerable to some powerful quarters.
No call demanding ransom was so far received by the family.
Lawyers across the province protested against the high profile abduction and boycotted the proceedings of courts on Tuesday.