Contempt proceedings: Pak-Turk school chief asks IHC to restrain police ‘harassment’

Notices issued to Punjab IG, senior CTD officials for violating court orders

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court Monday issued notices to the Punjab Inspector General of Police and senior officials of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on a petition filed by the chairman of the Pak Turk Educational Foundation (PTEF) that the officials were harassing him in violation of court orders.

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the IHC issued notices to the respondents after the PTEF chairman Alamgir Khan, through his counsel Babar Sattar, approached the court against alleged harassment by the respondents despite earlier court orders.

Alamgir has sought contempt proceedings against Punjab IG Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera, CTD Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Rai Tahir, CTD Senior Superintendent of Police Mohammad Iqbal and CTD Superintendent of Police Haroon Rashid, for harassing in violation of the court order.

Previously, the court had “restrained from calling the petitioner at CTD office at Rawalpindi or Lahore or making any harassment or to arrest him in any manner without permission of court.”

On December 6, 2016, Alamgir had filed a petition before the IHC claiming that the CTD was forcing him to resign from his post and had even initiated an inquiry into PTEF’s affairs to coerce him.

Justice Kayani had at the time sought a reply from the police officials and restrained them from harassing Alamgir.

In a recent petition, Sattar said that despite court’s restraining order, CTD officials were continuously harassing the petitioner and threatening him with dire consequences. He said that the conduct of the police officers is not only illegal, but also extremely unfair.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2017.