Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir expressed his dismay over the apprehension of civilians not involved in last week’s PTI protest, following which the capital and Rawalpindi police arrested more than 1,400 suspects.
The remarks come amid claims by the PTI that the police have been discriminating against and racially profiling Pakhtuns as well as invading citizens’ privacy by conducting mobile checks of ordinary citizens to trace party supporters.
On Nov 13, Imran issued a “final call” for nationwide protests on Nov 24, demanding the restoration of the PTI’s electoral mandate, the release of detained party members, and the reversal of the 26th Amendment which he said had strengthened a “dictatorial regime”.
In the wake of the protest, human rights organisation Amnesty International demanded a transparent investigation of the state’s “deadly crackdown” to disperse PTI supporters from Islamabad’s D-Chowk, where they had gathered on Nov 26.
Numerous PTI workers were arrested in the ensuing crackdown while multiple cases were filed against the party leadership and supporters. According to the federal capital’s police chief, more than 1,400 suspects have been arrested by the Islamabad and Rawalpindi police.
Justice Tahir today took up a writ petition filed by Saeed Ahmed, brother of Sameer Ahmed, a vegetable vendor who the plea said was arrested from Islamabad’s F-10 and sent on judicial remand.
The petition stated that Sameer was sent to Adiala Jail after being taken into custody in connection with a case filed at Tarnol police station, in which he was not nominated but considered among the unidentified suspects.
It further alleged that Saeed and his father Zahoor Islam were threatened by the police of being arrested when they inquired about the case against Sameer.Advocate Riasat Ali Azaad, president of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA), as well as the brother and father of the detained vendor, appeared before the court today.
During the hearing, Justice Tahir questioned how the police could “arrest people who were not even part of the protest”, asserting it was “totally wrong”.The judge then disposed of the petition, ordering Advocate Azaad to plead the case as the complainant’s counsel and directing the police to oversee the matter.
