Will Summon PM, 'Seal The Courts’ If Detainee Not Produced, Says CJ Gulzar

Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed has threatened to summon Prime Minister Imran Khan before the apex court if the government did not present an individual named Arif Gull, who since 2019 has been detained at an internment center in Kohat. The CJ warned that he could 'seal the courts' if the prisoner is not produced today (Tuesday).

Chief Justice Gulzar presided over a three-judge Supreme Court bench reviewing a habeas corpus petition filed by a relative of Arif Gull, who sought information regarding the detainees whereabouts.

Representatives from the government, Shumail Butt, the advocate general for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Additional Attorney General Sajid Ilyas, contend that it would have been 'impossible' for Arif Gull to travel from Kohat to appear before the Islamabad court by Monday, due to the long distance.  The city of Kohat is 175.2 km from Islamabad.

Arif Gull was detained in 2019 after allegedly attacking a security force check-post at Kandau, near the Afghanistan border. Furthermore, it is believed that Gull may be an Afghan national, although his nationality remains unverified by authorities.

Chief Justice Gulzar issued a strong warning that he would deploy the "entire defense machinery" if the government did not present Arif Gull in court.

“Would the edifice of the Supreme Court crumble if Arif Gull is produced before the court,” the CJP asked. “We should lock the court if the person cannot be produced before it.”