ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC)on Monday restrained the federal police from unnecessarily harassing the leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

A single bench of Chief Justice Athar Minallah issued the directions while hearing a petition filed by former advocate general Islamabad Niazullah Niazi against the alleged harassment of the PTI leaders.

During the hearing, the IHC bench raised questions over the Islamabad police’s list of PTI leaders who were ordered to submit surety bonds. However, the bench restrained the police from unnecessarily harassing citizens.

Justice Minallah asked what kind of lists the police were making. At this, the state council stated that the Inspector General (IG) police had made a list of PTI leaders who were asked to give surety bonds.

The IHC CJ termed it harassment and asked how they could have asked for surety bonds. The police also informed that the list was prepared by the Special Branch and was passed to the police through IG. A police officer stated that he had called the petitioner and asked to submit surety bond.

Then, the court asked under what law, they were asking for surety bonds. The police maintained that they were following orders and had asked for surety bonds because of potential peace disturbance during an expected ‘long march’. The petitioner’s counsel maintained that only the magistrate could order surety bonds and not the police.

Justice Minallah termed the procedure adopted for surety bonds as illegal and directed the state council to satisfy the court on the next hearing.

Later, the court deferred the hearing until next week and restrained police from harassing the petitioner and all citizens.

The petitioner, Niazi, had approached the IHC against the alleged harassment from the police, claiming that the Bani Gala police station had made a list of PTI leaders who were to submit surety bond before the march.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022