The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday stopped [the police] from taking action against former minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad in the cases registered in Karachi and Hub.
Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri heard AML chief Sheikh Rashid’s petitions in the IHC.
At the outset, Sheikh Rashid’s lawyer said the court had already stayed further action on the summons by the Abpara police station, but the police registered a case in the same plea and made an arrest. Another FIR was registered in Karachi when Sheikh Rashid was in the police custody, he added.
To which Justice Jahangiri said the place of statement was polyclinic hospital, so how was a case registered in Karachi?
The court also issued notices to the bar councils, the Attorney General and Advocate General, restraining them from proceeding in the cases registered against Rashid in Mochko area of Karachi and Hub area of Balochistan.
The judge questioned as to how could there be FIRs in different cities on the same incident?
The counsel said the third case was registered in Murree, upon which the court inquired whether arrests had been made in these three cases. Rashid’s lawyer said that there had been an arrest in only one case.
The judge said the law says that when an arrest is made in one case, it is also done in the rest.
The counsel said Sheikh Rashid was tied to a chair at an unknown place for about six hours for political questions. He was also subjected to torture.
The judge said, “I don’t understand where this series will stop, you had filed cases of terrorism against the Secretary Information and the Ptv MD and now the same thing is happening against you. Just imagine what would happen ifthe police arrested the female secretary Information”?
The IHC adjourned the hearing till February 9.
