The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has officially charged Deputy Commissioner (DC) Irfan Nawaz Memon and three other individuals with contempt of court in connection with the detention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shehryar Afridi and Shandana Gulzar under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance.
During the court hearing, DC Memon and SSP Zafar entered pleas of not guilty and extended their unreserved apologies to the court. Additionally, SP Farooq Buttar and SHO Naseer Manzoor were also indicted for contempt, although both individuals denied the allegations.
To provide some context, the IHC had previously taken action by suspending Shehryar Afridi’s arrest warrants under the MPO and ordered his immediate release. The court also issued a directive to prevent authorities from apprehending him or Ms. Shandana Gulzar in any other related cases.
This development marks a significant turn of events in a case that has garnered substantial attention. Shehryar Afridi was initially detained on May 16 at his Islamabad residence under Section 3 of the MPO Ordinance of 1960. He was subsequently re-arrested on May 30 under the same legal provision shortly after his release from custody.
On August 3, the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench granted bail to Afridi, only for him to be apprehended once more by the police right after his release from Adiala jail.
As this legal battle continues, the actions taken by the Islamabad High Court regarding these contempt charges highlight the ongoing complexities surrounding the case.