While issuing directives on Monday to Punjab government to submit an investigation report on Punjab Institute of Cardiology's spurious medicine scam within three days, the Supreme Court issued contempt notice to Punjab's Additional Inspector General Police Aslam Tareen for apprehending nine employees of pharmaceutical company, ignoring the court orders.
Dr Khalid Ranjha representing the pharmaceutical company apprised a bench comprising Justice Tasadduq Hussain Jilani and Justice Saqib Nisar that Punjab police arrested nine persons who had arrived in Lahore from Karachi to cooperate with investigators. Ranjha further said that the Supreme Court on January 30 had issued directives to police not to make arrests, but Shadman police station Lahore still arrested nine persons who were assisting the police in investigating the matter.
"I was well aware of the apex court's orders in the case but at the same time I was compelled to arrest all these persons under the command of Additional IG Aslam Tareen who ordered me to apprehend them," the concerned Station House Officer told the bench. Taking a serious notice of the matter, the bench asked the SHO to produce all the arrested persons before the Magistrate in Lahore on Tuesday (today) and issued contempt notice to incumbent Additional IGP Punjab and asked him to appear before the court. The hearing was adjourned till April 11.