ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has decided to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad in the case of the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shehryar Afridi.
Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad High Court announced the initiate contempt of court action against the Deputy Commissioner and said the indictment will be ensured on the next hearing.
The case against the arrest of Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Shehryar Afridi and Shandana Gulzar under Maintenance Of Public Order (MPO) was heard by Justice Babar Sattar of Islamabad High Court.
DC Islamabad as District Magistrate, IG Police Islamabad and Chief Commissioner Islamabad appeared in the court where Shehryar Afridi and Shandana Gulzar were also produced. Petitioner’s counsel Sher Afzal Marwat also appeared before the court.
Referring to the violent incidents in various cities on May 9, Justice Babar Sattar asked the DC to talk about Islamabad only. Deputy Commissioner Islamabad said that the Intelligence Bureau reported that Shahryar Afridi may attack the district courts.
On this occasion, Justice Babar Sattar asked how Shehryar Afridi was planning to attack the court in the jail. Did Shehryar Afridi has access to media and mobile? If Shahryar Afridi was planning to attack the court while staying in jail, what action was taken against the jail administration?
The Deputy Commissioner told the court that according to intelligence reports, Shehryar Afridi had spread provocation and was involved in planning attack on the district courts. His name also came up in the anti-judiciary campaign, the DC said.
The court questioned to the official as to how Afridi provoked people despite being in jail. The Deputy Commissioner also read out reports of the Special Branch and the Intelligence Bureau before the court.
An interesting situation arose in the court when Justice Babar Sattar inquired on whose information Shahryar Afridi was arrested. The SHO said that he was not the SHO at the time of the arrest. On which Justice Babar Sattar said; Then you lost your life, who was the DPO? The concerned DPO came to the rostrum and told the court that he was on leave at that time.
Justice Babar Sattar said that there were intelligence reports of May 8 that the situation is tense, Shahryar Afridi was inciting violence while sitting in jail, who was arrested? On which the IG Police said that they will go after the mastermind.
Justice Babar Sattar remarked that what was read was making a mockery of the police system and asked to decide whether the country should be run under the Constitution or in some other way. He directed the IG Police to submit a detailed report.
Talking to Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, Justice Babar Sattar said, “You have submitted the answer to your show-cause, see what you have written in the MPO order. What you wrote in the May 16 order, the same reasons were given in the order of August 8 and the court declared your MPO order illegal.”
The Islamabad High Court declared the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad’s response to the show-cause notice issued in the Shehryar Afridi case as unsatisfactory and decided that the court will initiate contempt of court proceedings against him. Justice Babar Sattar said that the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad will be charged on the next hearing.
The court also summoned SSP (Operations) Islamabad Police to the rostrum. His lawyer Tahir Kazim argued that the reasons for quashing the first MPO order were different. The court said that detention orders were issued later and arrests were made earlier.
Expressing anger on the police authorities on this occasion, Justice Babar Sattar remarked that you people have created a farce… the court cancels the MPO order and then a new order is issued. “You think everyone is blind?”
The court also termed the response of the SSP (Operations) as unsatisfactory and ordered to charge them for contempt of court. The court issued a notice to the IG Police Islamabad and directed it him to give the names of the concerned SHOs and DPOs.
The court ordered to issue a show cause notice to the concerned SHO and DPO and sought the records of the meetings of Shahryar Afridi in the jail, from the Superintendent Jail Adiala.
The Islamabad High Court suspended the District Magistrate’s MPO order against Shehryar Afridi and allowed him to go to his residence in Islamabad.
Instructing Shehryar Afridi not to make statements on media and social media, Justice Babar Sattar said, “I expect you not to make any statement until this case goes on. No statement should be made on media or social media”. The court adjourned the hearing for two weeks.
