ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has indicted capital Deputy Commissioner (DC) Irfan Nawaz Memon and three others for contempt of court for issuing detention orders under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).
Justice Babar Sattar presided over the hearing as the court also indicted Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) operations Jamil Zafar, Superintendent of Police (SP) Farooq Buttar and Margalla Station House Officer (SHO) Nasir Manzoor.
On August 16, the IHC suspended the detention orders of the PTI leaders Shehryar Afridi and Shandana Gulzar under the MPO ordinance and ordered their immediate release. The court said the officers would be indicted for contempt for issuing the detention notice in violation of the court’s directives.
A day earlier, the IHC restrained Islamabad’s district magistrate from detaining suspects under MPO. The court also issued show-cause notices to the city police chief, chief commissioner and other police officials for “criminal contempt of court for abuse of authority to obstruct dispensation of justice and cause diversion to the course of justice”.
During today’s proceedings, DC Memon submitted an unconditional apology and urged the court to not indict him. The DC and the three other officers denied the charge after they were indicted.
Islamabad Advocate General Ayaz Shaukat also appeared before the court as prosecutor and offered an unconditional apology. Justice Sattar said that the “accused should spend some time in jail to understand the gravity of their actions”.
Addressing the officials, Justice Sattar 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,” he remarked.
READ MORE: IHC orders release of Shehryar Afridi, Shandana Gulzar
The DC replied the aim of the detention order was not to violate the court order. He then furnished an unconditional apology to the court, which was rejected. The indictment order was read out aloud and he was indicted.
Justice Sattar read out aloud the SSP Zafar’s indictment order and he was charged with the offence, which he denied. He sought more time from the court when asked if he would defend himself. SP Buttar and SHO Manzoor were also and denied the charges. The hearing was adjourned.
Afridi was first arrested on May 16 from Islamabad under Section 3 of the MPO Ordinance, 1960. He was rearrested on May 30 under the same section soon after his release from prison.
Afridi was granted bail on July 31 by the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench but was picked up a few days later by the Rawalpindi police soon after his release from Adiala jail.
Shandana Gulzar was allegedly abducted by the Islamabad police on August 9. A petition was filed in the IHC on the grounds of illegal arrest.
