ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sentenced Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon, Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jameel Zafar, and a station house officer (SHO) from Kohsar police station to prison on Friday after they were found guilty of contempt of court.
This decision stems from the issuance of detention orders for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Shehryar Afridi and Shandana Gulzar under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance.
The court has ordered Islamabad DC to serve six months in prison, SSP to serve four months, and SHO two months. Additionally, each of them has been fined Rs100,000.
Meanwhile, the court has suspended the sentence for a month and has granted the DC time to file an appeal against the decision.
The IHC had indicted DC Memon and three police officials, including SSP Zafar, in a contempt case related to the detention of PTI leaders on September 7, 2023.
On August 16, the IHC had suspended the detention orders of the PTI leaders and ordered their immediate release. The PTI leaders had been detained due to their alleged involvement in riots on May 9, which erupted after the arrest of PTI chief Imran Khan earlier that year.
DC Memon and SSP Zafar had pleaded not guilty to the charges and had also offered unconditional apologies. However, the IHC rejected the plea for unconditional pardon and subsequently directed authorities to place DC Memon’s name on the no-fly list for failing to attend court proceedings. He was also issued a show-cause notice regarding his absence.
Afridi was initially arrested from his Islamabad residence under Section 3 of the MPO Ordinance, 1960, on May 16. Despite being granted release, he was immediately rearrested under the same section on May 30. He was later granted bail by the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench on August 3, but his release was short-lived as he was once again taken into custody by Rawalpindi police following his release from Adiala jail.
In response to Afridi’s arrest, his lawyer had filed a plea in the IHC, requesting his release and the revocation of the MPO order.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
