ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) barred the police from taking action against Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, the head of the Awami Muslim League (AML) in the cases registered against him in Lasbela and Karachi.
A single bench of Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, on Monday, heard a contempt petition filed by Sheikh Rasheed’s nephew through advocates, Intazar Hussain Panjutha and Naeed Haider Panjutha along with his petition to stop his transfer to Karachi and suspend the first information reports (FIRs) registered in Sindh and Balochistan.
The court also issued notices to bar councils, the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP), and the Advocate General (AG) of Islamabad in this matter.
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During the hearing, Sheikh’s counsel informed the court that the bench had stopped the police from taking any further action on the summons issued by the Abpara Police Station to his client. However, he added that police registered a case on the same complaint and arrested him.
His counsel also informed the bench that another FIR was registered in Karachi while Sheikh Rasheed was in Islamabad Police’s custody.
At this, Justice Jahangiri asked that if Poly Clinic (Islamabad) is the place where the statement was given then how was a case registered in Karachi? He added how multiple FIRs can be registered in different cities on the same incident.
Then, Sheikh’s lawyer told the court that a third case was registered against his client in Murree.
The IHC bench asked that has the arrest been made in all three cases. The lawyer informed the court that the arrest has been made in only one case. Justice Jahangiri remarked that as per law, arrest in one case is considered arrest in all cases. The former interior minister’s counsel told the court that the Sheikh was tied to a chair for six hours at an unidentified location. He also claimed that during this time, the AML chief was asked political questions and tortured.
The judge said that during Rasheed’s tenure cases were registered against secretary information and managing director of the PTV. He added that the same is happening with you. Think, if the female secretary information was arrested and taken by BudhBher police station what would have happened? Later, the bench stopped the police from taking action in the cases registered against the former federal minister in Karachi and Lasbela and deferred the hearing till February 9.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023