Fawad's lawyer to assist LHC regarding jurisdiction

High court heard petition regarding FIRs against PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court (LHC) judge Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh on Tuesday sought arguments by February 8 from lawyers representing PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry and questioned how the high court could summon his case records from other provinces.

Justice Sheikh heard a plea filed by Fawad’s cousin, Nabeel Shehzad, who questioned if first information reports (FIRs) were registered against Fawad in other jurisdictions.

The petition was filed after Fawad was arrested in an FIR registered with the Kohsar police Islamabad under sedition, for inciting the public against constitutional institutions and several other charges.

As the proceedings commenced, the case details on behalf of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad and Punjab were submitted before the court. Three FIRs were registered against him in Punjab, two of them were cancelled while in the third FIR, he was declared innocent.

In Islamabad, there were two FIRs, one was registered at Aabpara police station and the second at Kohsar police station, where he was arrested.

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The petitioner's counsel, Muhammad Ahmad Pansota, informed the court that the case details of Punjab and Islamabad FIRs were submitted while details from the remaining provinces were also required. Justice Sheikh questioned how he could ask the other provinces for details and inquired if it was the LHC’s jurisdiction to do so.

The lawyer argued that all IGPs were under the federation and that the case details could be summoned by an order of the court.

However, the court adjourned the hearing and fixed another date for the matter.

In earlier proceedings, Justice Sheikh had summoned case details from the provincial and federal governments.

In the petition, the federal interior secretary, NAB, FIA and all IGPs had been made respondents. It stated that Fawad was arrested in a false sedition case, with doubts that he may be arrested in other cases. It furthered that the objective of the FIRs was merely to arrest Fawad.

The court was requested that all records of the cases be summoned from the respondents and that the concerned quarters be restrained from arresting Fawad.