The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued on Wednesday orders for the release of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Shehryar Afridi and Shandana Gulzar Khan, who were arrested under Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).
The court also bound Afridi from not leaving the federal capital. It further ordered the Islamabad inspector-general of police (IGP) and deputy commissioner (DC) to ensure his safety and security.
Afridi was first detained following the May 9 riots and was then arrested once more on May 30 in accordance with Section 3 of the MPO Ordinance 1960.
Afridi was arrested by the Rawalpindi Police earlier this month, shortly after being released from Adiala Jail after receiving bail from the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court.
Gulzar was allegedly ‘abducted’ by the Islamabad Police on August 9. Following that, her mother petitioned the IHC citing the "illegal arrest" and violations of Articles 4, 9, 10A, and 14 of the Pakistani Constitution.
Both suspects were produced in IHC by the relevant authorities. The court granted instructions for their release and overturned the MPO's detention orders.
In addition, the court directed IGP Akbar Nasir Khan and DC Irfan Nawaz Memon for affidavits and told Afridi not to make any public remarks about the case while it is still in court.
During the hearing, Justice Babar Sattar inquired about the evidence regarding the claim made in the magistrate's arrest order, which stated that Afridi was conspiring to launch an attack.
At this, DC Memon said that the Intelligence Bureau gave information that Afridi might launch an attack on the district court.
Justice Sattar further asked whether DC Memon did not consider questioning his source on how could Afridi be inciting people while imprisoned.
To this, the federal capital's deputy commissioner said, "My eyes and ears are the intelligence agencies. There was also a report [against Afridi] by the Special Branch".
The court received similar statements from the DC regarding Khan's arrest. It directed the IGP and chief police commissioner of Islamabad to ensure her safety after the release.