Pak court indicts four government officials for detaining two leaders of Imran Khan’s party against its order

Islamabad, Sep 7 (PTI) A Pakistani high court on Thursday indicted Islamabad’s district commissioner and three police officers in a contempt case for violating court orders regarding the detention of two leaders of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) presided over the hearing where Islamabad’s Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon, Senior Superintendent of Police for Operations Jamil Zafar, Superintendent of Police Farooq Buttar and Margalla Station House Officer Nasir Manzoor were present.

All four officials denied the charge after they were indicted by Justice Sattar who read out aloud the charges against them.

All four government officers were accused of keeping PTI leaders Shehryar Afridi and Shandana Gulzar in custody under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance despite the court having ordered to set them free.

Earlier, Advocate General Ayaz Shaukat presenting his arguments urged the IHC to not indict them as the “officers have furnished an unconditional apology”.

“How can we not indict them? The matter of contempt of court was underway here yet you issued an MPO order,” Justice Sattar remarked.

Addressing the officials, the judge said, “If you are sentenced, you will be sent to jail at the most It is a six-month sentence. You may also live in jail and see how those who you send to jail live there”.

Afridi was first arrested on May 16 and Gulzar was taken into custody on August 9 during the crackdown following the May 9 violence after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan in an alleged corruption case.

On August 16, the IHC had ordered that Afridi and Gulzar should be released but they were again arrested, prompting the court to take action.

If convicted the four could land in jail for six months and also lose their government jobs. The court action may bring respite to many PTI leaders who are still facing court cases.