Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah has asked the police and district administration as to why offence of sedition was invoked against the activists protesting the arrest of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) chief Manzoor Pashteen.
The court has summoned the deputy commissioner and the inspector general of Islamabad police tomorrow (Monday). IHC Chief Justice Justice Minullah issued these orders while hearing a petition seeking post-arrest bail of 23 activists of the PTM and Awami Workers Party (AWP).
The detained activists were represented by Advocates Babar Sattar, Nisar Shah and Sikandar Naeem.
The court also ordered DC and IGP to bring the record of the arrested activists and "explain under what authority of law the offence of sedition has been included in the FIR and why the petitioners who are stated to have exercised their right of assembly in a peaceful manner may not be released on bail.”
The counsel for the detained activists termed their arrest a miscarriage of justice and maintained that slapping sedition charges on unarmed peaceful citizens was misuse of authority.
The court has summoned the deputy commissioner and the inspector general of Islamabad police tomorrow (Monday). IHC Chief Justice Justice Minullah issued these orders while hearing a petition seeking post-arrest bail of 23 activists of the PTM and Awami Workers Party (AWP).
The detained activists were represented by Advocates Babar Sattar, Nisar Shah and Sikandar Naeem.
The court also ordered DC and IGP to bring the record of the arrested activists and "explain under what authority of law the offence of sedition has been included in the FIR and why the petitioners who are stated to have exercised their right of assembly in a peaceful manner may not be released on bail.”
The counsel for the detained activists termed their arrest a miscarriage of justice and maintained that slapping sedition charges on unarmed peaceful citizens was misuse of authority.