ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC), Monday, directed the Inspector General (IG) Police Islamabad to produce Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry Tuesday (May 16) before the court.
A single bench of Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the petition filed by Fawad through his counsel Faisal Fareed advocate against his arrest.
The court’s order said; “Until the applicant is produced, he shall not be kept in vile environment. The District Magistrate, ICT shall tender appearance in person before this Court and bring the record on the basis of which the impugned order dated 10.05.2023 was passed.”
The PTI leader has sought the suspension of the impugned notification/order dated 10.05.2023 passed by the District Magistrate, Islamabad Capital Territory on the basis of which the applicant was arrested.
The IHC bench observed that the order sheet of this matter reveals that the titled petition was filed on 09.05.2023 and taken up for hearing on the same day at 7:30 p.m. while on 09.05.2023, this court passed an order restraining the respondents from arresting the applicant or taking any step in violation of the law.
During the hearing, his counsel submitted that despite the said order, the applicant was arrested on 11.05.2023. He further submitted that even though the officers/officials who arrested the applicant were informed as to the said restraining order dated 09.05.2023 passed by this court but in contemptuous disregard of the said order, he was arrested.
Furthermore, he submitted that in order to clothe the arrest with a semblance of legality, the District Magistrate, ICT issued an order dated 10.05.2023 for the applicant’s arrest under Section 3(1) of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960.
The counsel continued that the applicant has neither in the past nor shall in future incite any person to violate the law. He stressed before the judge that Fawad had been arrested in spite of having secured bail from the high court.
He added that the police had been informed of the interim bail but they did not obey court orders and a copy of IHC CJ Aamer Farooq’s earlier orders was also presented before the court.
Fawad Chaudhry was arrested by police officials from outside the Supreme Court (SC) under 16 MPO on May 10. He was present in the Supreme Court’s building since 12:00 noon to avoid his arrest. He was immediately arrested by police after he stepped out of the SC premises late Wednesday night.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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