Islamabad High Court indicts deputy commissioner, SSP in contempt case

In an important development in the contempt of court case, Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday indicted four officials, including Deputy Commissioner (DC) Islamabad Irfan Nawaz Memon and SSP Operations Jameel Zafar, for exceeding their powers while issuing Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) against PTI’s Shehryar Afridi and Shandana Gulzar, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The other two officials, who were indicted, were SP Farooq Buttar and SHO Margalla Police Station Nasir Manzoor.

Both the DC and the SSP appeared before the court, while Advocate General Islamabad Ayyaz Shaukat appeared before the court as a prosecutor.

The officials, on the occasion, submitted to the court their replies in the case.

Justice Sattar remarked that today charges were to be framed.

During the hearing, the judge asked the officials whether they were now aware of the charges against them.   

Both the deputy commissioner and the SSP pleaded not guilty.

When the judge asked them whether they wanted to say something in their defence, the SSP replied that he wanted some time from the court.  

Over a week ago, the IHC had issued an order, instructing the authorities to refrain from arresting PTI leaders Shehryar Afridi and Shandana Gulzar within the premises of Islamabad.

On August 16, the IHC had ordered the release of Afridi and Shandana and decided to indict the DC and SSP for contempt after deeming their responses to the court as “unsatisfactory”.

The PTI leaders had been arrested by the police in connection with the May 9 violence. Afridi was arrested first on May 16 and Shandana on August 9.

Reporter: Rozeena Ali