ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday issued an order preventing the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Sher Afzal Marwat without prior approval from the court. This decision came after Marwat filed a petition against his potential arrest, prompting the court to intervene.
The IHC’s ruling followed a hearing on Marwat’s plea, in which notices were sent to various authorities, including the Ministry of Interior Secretary, the Islamabad Inspector General, the Punjab Inspector General, and the Federal Investigation Agency. The court has asked these bodies to provide a detailed response to Marwat’s petition, with a particular focus on the charges and cases filed against him. The authorities have been directed to submit paragraph-wise comments on the PTI leader’s petition.
Issuing a written order, Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz of the IHC instructed that Sher Afzal Marwat, a senior lawyer, cannot be arrested in any case without the court’s explicit permission. Marwat, represented by his legal team comprising Adil Aziz Qazi and Riasat Ali Azad, filed the petition to prevent what he described as an unlawful arrest.
Arrest of Marwat and Gohar Khan
Marwat and PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan were arrested on September 9, just outside the Parliament House. The arrests were made in connection with the alleged violation of the newly implemented public gathering regulations during a PTI rally in Islamabad on September 8. The law in question, the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill, 2024, sets strict guidelines on public gatherings and protests.
Marwat, however, resisted his arrest and demanded that police present an arrest warrant, which the authorities did not provide at the time. He was eventually taken into custody, accused of clashing with law enforcement during the PTI’s rally.
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PTI Lawmakers Arrested and Production Orders Issued
The recent crackdown on PTI members extends beyond Marwat and Gohar Khan. At least 10 PTI lawmakers were arrested from the Parliament House. Their arrests were part of a larger operation aimed at curbing what authorities described as disorderly conduct during the PTI’s power show in Islamabad.
National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq issued production orders for the arrested lawmakers on September 12, allowing them to attend parliamentary proceedings. During the session, Sher Afzal Marwat took to the National Assembly floor, expressing his gratitude to the speaker for facilitating the production orders. He also raised concerns about the handling of his personal belongings, stating that the police had yet to return his personal pistol and five Kalashnikovs, which were in his vehicle at the time of arrest.
Marwat strongly rejected the charges filed against him, including accusations that he had torn the uniform of a police officer. He stated that these charges were baseless and part of a larger effort to suppress the PTI.
September 8 Clashes
The PTI’s September 8 rally, held on the outskirts of Islamabad near Chungi No. 26, led to clashes between party supporters and the police. In response to the rally, heavy contingents of police were deployed around the Parliament House, and all entry points to Islamabad’s Red Zone were closed off. This included blockades at D-Chowk, Nadra Chowk, Serena, Marriott, and Margalla Road.
Several PTI leaders, including Zain Qureshi, Sheikh Waqas Akram, Naseem-ur-Rehman, and Zubair Khan, were arrested during the clashes. Charges were filed against numerous PTI members at Noon Village and Sangjani police stations under the newly enforced Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill. Additionally, at least 28 other local PTI leaders, including Seemabia Tahir and Raja Basharat, were named in the cases filed.
As the legal battles continue, Marwat and other PTI leaders remain at the center of the party’s pushback against these arrests, citing political repression as the primary motive behind the actions taken against them.
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