The Peshawar High Court has ordered the release of a journalist arrested in Nowshera and suspended the month-long detention awarded to him.
A division bench comprising Justice Qaiser Rasheed and Justice Roohul Amin heard an application on Wednesday. The application was filed by Farhat Shah through his lawyer Shahid Riaz.
The bench was told Shah was imprisoned for a month under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO), 1960. As per this section, the government can issue orders for the arrest and detention of people who pose a threat to public order.
The lawyer told the bench Shah was arrested for threatening public safety and was detained at Central Prison Haripur. Riaz requested the bench to suspend the order for Shah’s detention. After hearing the arguments,
the bench suspended the order for the journalist’s detention and issued an order for his release.
On January 29, the Nowshera deputy commissioner arrested Shah and sent him to prison for a month. Following the arrest, members of the Nowshera Press Club and District Union of Journalists Nowshera organised a protest and blocked GT Road.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 4th, 2016.
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