Sindh CJ's son abducted in Pakistan

Karachi, Jun 21: The son of the Chief Justice of Sindh High Court has been abducted by unidentified armed men here in Pakistan's largest city and economic hub and police have detained five persons in this connection.

Ovais Sajjad Shah, himself an advocate, was apparently abducted by armed men from outside a popular shopping mart in the posh Clifton area yesterday.

Ovais, the son of Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, had just come out of the mart when four armed men wearing peak caps emerged from a white car with a green number plate and forcibly took him away. Green number plates are reserved for government vehicles.

DIG Police District South, Munir Ahmed Sheikh told the media that Ovais went missing after he left the Sindh High Court in the afternoon to meet a friend in Clifton. "We are looking at the CCTV cameras in the Clifton area to ascertain what happened.

But he apparently stopped over at the shopping mart," Sheikh said. He said the family of the Chief Justice informed that his son has gone missing in the evening.

A senior police official said so far no case of abduction has been registered but Ovais has gone missing and is untraceable. "His mobile phone is also switched off since late afternoon. We have detained five persons from the parking area for questioning," he said.

Ovais was pleading around 90 cases, including one where he was hired by 700 sacked employees of the Karachi Port Trust to fight their case. Ovais's kidnapping comes just weeks after sons of two high profile politicians returned home after spending years in captivity.

Shahbaz Taseer, the son of former slain Punjab governor, Salman Taseer was recovered in March from the Baluchistan province after spending five years in captivity. He was kidnapped by militants and kept in Afghanistan.

In May, Ali Haider the son of former Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani who was kidnapped from Multan was recovered from Afghanistan after three years in captivity of militant outfits. Karachi which is Pakistan's economic hub and biggest city has for years been a hotbed for criminals, gangsters and militants who are involved in kidnapping for ransom, target killings, sectarian violence, terrorism, bank robberies and other crimes.

Street crime remains one of the biggest problems here despite the paramilitary rangers and police carrying out a clean-up operation in Karachi since September 2013.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah expressed concern over the incident and said no stone would be left unturned to locate the the Chief Justice's son.

Shah ordered deployment of police at key exit and entry points of the metropolis to recover him, his spokesperson said.

PTI