The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday ordered to release Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi and the wife of another PTI leader Shehryar Afridi, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
The IHC annulled the order for the arrest of Shah Mehmood Qureshi under 3MPO and ordered to release him. IHC judge Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb issued the orders for his release.
It is to be noted here that Shah Mehmood Qureshi and other PTI leaders had been arrested after violent protests by the PTI workers following the arrest of party chairman Imran Khan.
The IHC also heard the petition against the arrest of Shehryar Afridi’s wife. The hearing was conducted by IHC judge Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir.
“What is happening in the area of your jurisdiction IG Sahib? Are you familiar with the law or not?” the judge enquired from the Islamabad inspector general of police (IGP).
“According to our information, the woman and her husband were involved in the planning of the attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ),” the IGP replied.
“What source of information do you have? Show me. Call the deputy commissioner (DC) immediately. If he does not appear in five minutes, there will be a problem,” Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir said.
“There is nothing against the woman in what you are showing. Remember, if someone is arrested after being released from this court, there will be a lot of problems,” he warned.
“Can 16MPO be imposed on the basis of mere information? If our order is violated, there will be severe consequences. You should take legal action, but what you did is that you arrested a housewife. The problem is that all this continued to happen during the tenure of the previous government too,” the IHC judge remarked.
“This did not happen in the PTI government,” lawyer Sher Afzal Marwat said.
“There is evidence against the woman. She has been involved in such activities,” the IGP stated.
“If there is any evidence, produce it in the court. If the woman is involved, we will withdraw this petition. But if the evidence is not produced, action should be taken against the IGP. A statement has been recorded in the court; evidence should be sought from them,” Sher Afzal Marwat Advocate remarked.
Reporter: Ehtisham Kiyani