LHC quashes FIR against Khosa’s son

Warns police against filing cases against lawyers

ISLAMABAD:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday quashed a first information report (FIR) registered against the son of PTI leader and prominent lawyer Latif Khosa under terrorism charges.  Also, the court cautioned the concerned station house officer (SHO) against initiating future cases against lawyers.

Khurrum Khosa, a lawyer and a PTI member, was rounded up on Sunday along with a junior lawyer of his chamber Ali Murtaza.  Latif Khosa, who recently joined the PTI, filed a habeas corpus petition in the LHC, seeking the recovery of his son and Murtaza and a single-member bench of the court comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi on Monday took up the plea.

In the first round of proceedings, Justice Najafi came down hard on the state’s law officer-- Additional Advocate General (AAG) Ghulam Sarwar Nihung--for using delaying tactics in presenting the detained persons before the court.

The petitioner’s lawyers—including Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan— argued that police officials were not disclosing as to where Khurrum had been detained.

The law officer stated that it was a sensitive matter. He sought some time to find out as to which law enforcement agency had rounded up the lawyers.

Justice Najafi made it clear that the court would summon Punjab Inspector General Police (IGP) in person if the court was not satisfied. He directed the law officer to inform the court about the whereabouts of Khurrum after a beak.

As the proceedings resumed, AAG Nihung told the court that Khurram Khosa was arrested for tearing up uniforms of some police officials, stanching two wireless sets from them, pointing a gun at policemen and hurling threats at them.

Read PPP's disgruntled Sardar Latif Khosa finds home in PTI

He said the lawyer has been booked under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. He told the court that the FIR had been registered against Khurrum on Monday morning.

The petitioner’s counsels argued that it was mala fide on part of the police to file an FIR against Khurrum after institution of the habeas corpus petition. Later, Justice Najafi directed the AAG to present the lawyer before the court till 6pm.

In the evening hours, the police finally presented Khurram Khosa before the court.
Senior lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan argued that police officials earlier told the court that they did not know the whereabouts of the detained persons but when they moved a petition, they shared the FIR registered against his client.

“The police’s case relies upon alleged video clips in which Khurrum Khosa tore some policemen's uniform and stanched wireless sets from them but when we asked them  to show those clips they could not present any evidence.”

He requested the court to quash the FIR in view of mala fide on part of the police. The court later set Khurrum free by quashing the FIR registered against him.