KARACHI: While observing that it is the responsibility of the state to trace out missing persons, the Sindh High Court directed the law enforcement agencies to make all-out efforts to find their whereabouts.

Federal B Industrial Area’s SDPO told a two-judge bench that Hafiz Ehsanullah, a resident of North Karachi, has gone missing on his own.

His remarks drew the ire of the judges who observed that, “We believe that it is still the responsibility of the state to trace out the missing persons.” They directed the SDPO to make all out efforts to trace him and submit progress report on the next hearing.

Petitioner Saifullah, the father of missing man, submitted that his son had left his house on Sept 25, 2012 but did not return. Since then his whereabouts were unknown.

The FIR regarding his missing son had been registered, however, the police had failed to locate him, he complained to the court.

Meanwhile, the court directed SSP Sujawal to locate missing fishermen and produce them before the court. Muhammad Rahim petitioned the high court against illegal detention of two fishermen, Vikio and Ali Nawaz.

The petitioner submitted that both the fishermen, residents of Chauhar Jamali, are in illegal detention of the Jongo Jalbani police.

A mafia in collusion with the area police had been harassing them to extort money after they were granted license for fishing in a pond in Chuhar Jamali area, he alleged. “Upon refusal, the police whisked away both the fishermen and detained them at the police station.”

The relatives of the detainees had approached the police and other higher authorities to seek their whereabouts but to no avail.

Their detention without any charge was against the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution, the petitioner said while pleading the judges to direct the police to produce them in court.