IHC summons Islamabad IGP to explain PTI leaders’ re-arrest

The Islamabad High Court on Friday issued contempt notices to the federal capital’s police chief and summoned him to explain the re-arresting of PTI leaders Shireen Mazari, Maleeha Bokhari and Ali Muhammad Khan.

Hearing the case of Mazari who was rounded up for the third time a day earlier, this time under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO), IHC’s Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb observed that in these cases, the State was trying to defeat the writ of the judiciary.

The attorney general for Pakistan appeared before the court, which a day earlier specifically ordered not to arrest Mazari in any case registered against her.
Justice Aurangzeb noted that there was a campaign under way against constitutional courts.

The AGP told the court all institutions would operate within their constitutional jurisdictions.

The judge remarked that the Punjab police could not arrest somebody directly from Islamabad.

He added that prima facie, the Islamabad police could not distance themselves away from the matter.

The judge summoned the Islamabad IGP on May 22 (Monday) for an explanation.

Justice Aurangzeb also heard the cases of the re-arresting of Bokhari and Khan after their release in pleas requesting  contempt proceedings against the Islamabad IGP.

Their lawyers requested the court that the decision to arrest their clients under the MPO should be set aside.

Issuing notices to the Islamabad IGP and the AGP, the court adjourned the hearing of the case till May 23 (Tuesday).

Hearing another case, Justice Aurangzeb sought by Monday the details of the cases registered against PTI leader Asad Umar.

The judge was hearing a petition against the arrest of Umar under the MPO.
Umar’s lawyer Babar Awan requested the court to be provided with the cases registered against his client.

Awan asked the court to fix the next date of hearing on Monday to which the judge inquired was he planning to enjoy his weekend. The courtroom burst out in laughter in response.

However, the judge fixed the next hearing on Monday.

Separately, PTI Vice Chairman still has to submit his undertaking to the IHC that he neither was he involved in the May 9 violence triggered by the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and neither had he instigated the party activists to cause the mayhem.

As a result, the court was unable to issue a written order and the matter has been delayed.

The IHC had declared the arrest of Qureshi under the MPO as illegal and ordered his release subject to the undertaking that he needed to submit to the court.
Qureshi’s lawyer sought more time from the court to submit the undertaking to it.