ISB High Court instructs IGPs of all provinces and Islamabad to arrest Islamabad DC and promptly present him in court.
During the hearing of a contempt case regarding the misuse of authority concerning the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO). The ISB High Court issued orders directed at Islamabad DC Irfan Nawaz Memon & Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations) Malik Jameel Zafar.
The court directed the arrest and appearance in court of the Islamabad DC. After dismissing his request for exemption from attending the proceedings.
This decision came as a response to Memon’s absence from the hearing, reportedly due to his participation in an Umrah pilgrimage. However, Advocate Raja Rizwan Abbasi, Memon’s lawyer, reported that the DC is currently in Khairpur due to his mother’s illness.
In contrast, SSP Zafar and Superintendent of Police (SP) Farooq Buttar attended the court session related to the contempt of court case. The prosecutor, Qaiser Imam, also participated in the proceedings.
Justice Babar Sattar, overseeing the case, issued an arrest warrant for DC Memon, underscoring the gravity of the contempt charges. The court directed the inspector generals of all four provinces and Islamabad to ensure Memon’s arrest and to promptly bring him before the Islamabad High Court.
The judge decreed that authorities should apprehend and present the Islamabad DC in court regardless of his whereabouts.
The court was informed by Memon’s attorney, Raja Rizwan Abbasi, that the DC had planned to perform Umrah but is presently in Khairpur at his mother’s request.
“Yesterday, the court denied the application filed by Irfan Nawaz Memon,” Justice Sattar remarked.
Last September, the IHC had prohibited the deputy commissioner from issuing MPO orders for an unspecified duration. Justice Babar Sattar ruled that the Islamabad DC cannot exercise the powers granted by Section 3 of the MPO indefinitely.
This directive emerged during the hearing of a petition that challenged the detention of PTI leaders Shehryar Afridi and Shandana Gulzar. The court inquired about the jurisdiction under which the district magistrate was issuing orders under the MPO.
