KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Monday expressed its dissatisfaction over a report submitted by the Karachi police and chided jail officials for installing jammers around the Central jail premises which has caused inconvenience to residents of the surrounding areas, DawnNews reported.
The Supreme Court was hearing a case related to the implementation of the apex court's earlier order over Karachi's law and order situation.
Moreover, the bench also sought a report from revenue officials by Feb 26 pertaining to the recovery of encroached lands in the city.
During today's hearing held at the Supreme Court's Karachi registry, Additional Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Karachi, Shahid Hayat, submitted before the bench a report over the performance of police according to which 13,000 suspects were apprehended since September.
The report further said that charge-sheets against 175 accused were filed in anti-terrorism courts whereas charge-sheets against more than seven thousand arrested persons had been filed in sessions courts.
Justice Jawad S. Khawaja responded to the AIG in a chiding manner, saying only the filing of charge-sheets had sufficed for him.
The police officer informed the court that mobile phone jammers had also been installed at the prisons to end the use of mobile phone by inmates.
Justice Khilji Arif Hussain said that the jammers had deprived people residing near prisons of the use of mobile phones.
Instructing the police officer to discontinue the practice, Justice Khilji questioned as to why were such jammers installed in the first place.
The court also took notice of the killing of a judge's son in an attack in rural Sindh and another attack on another judge's son. The bench remarked that in both the incidents the persons were targeted after having been identified by the attackers.
Meanwhile, a member of the Board of Revenue informed the court that 52,000 acres of land were occupied by federal or provincial government institutions which included Malir Development Authority (MDA), Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and Port Qasim Authority (PQA) among others.
He added that a further 8,000 acres were occupied by illegal goths, poultry farms and the builders' mafia.
Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali giving his remarks said that the lands were being occupied illegally under the nose of agencies and the actual owners of the lands were facing hardships.
The court said SSP of the anti-encroachment cell (AEC) was behind the illegal occupation of land.
AIGP Shahid Hayat told the court that the AEC was not subordinate to the police.
The court sought a report over the recovery of occupied land by the next hearing of the case which was adjourned to Feb 26.