Pak man who challenged JuD’s sharia courts drugged, kidnapped

A man who had been pursuing litigation in the Lahore High Court against the Jamaat-ud-Dawa’s self-styled Sharia courts was briefly kidnapped, intoxicated and threatened by two unidentified men on his way to the court, local media reported on Wednesday.

A man who had been pursuing litigation in the Lahore High Court against the Jamaat-ud-Dawa’s self-styled ’sharia courts’ was briefly kidnapped, drugged and threatened by two unidentified men, local media reported on Wednesday.

File photo of Chief of the Pakistan's Jamaat ud Dawa, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed. (AFP File)

“I was heading to the high court on my motorcycle when two bearded men intercepted me near Samanabad’s first roundabout. One of them took control of the bike, while the other sat behind me before heading towards Miani Sahib graveyard,” Khalid Saeed, a property dealer, told journalists from a hospital where he is recovering.

The Qazi or judge of “Dar-ul-Qaza Sharia”, established by JuD, had summoned Saeed to its headquarters to defend himself against allegations levelled in a complaint from his former business partner, alleging misappropriation of his investment.

Saeed never obeyed the order and instead approached the high court for remedy.

The high court heard the petition and directed the provincial home secretary to look into the matter and decide it strictly in accordance with law after hearing the petitioner’s version.

“I could only call a friend for help before passing out,” Saeed said, adding that the duo kept threatening him of dire consequences if he did not withdraw the cases and reconcile the matter. He was later shifted to a local hospital where doctors treated him in emergency ward.

The JuD had denied establishing any court, saying it offered only arbitration and resolved disputes in the light of sharia. JuD argues that offering arbitration to disputing parties is not illegal.