ISLAMABAD       -      The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday barred the police from taking action against Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, the head of Awami Muslim League (AML), in the cases registered against him in Lasbela and Karachi. A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri conducted hearing of a contempt petition filed by Sh Rashid’s nephew through to stop his transfer to Karachi and suspended the FIRs registered in Sindh and Balochistan. The court also issued notices to bar councils, Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) and Advocate General (AG) of Islamabad in this matter.

During the hearing, Sheikh’s counsel informed the court that the bench had stopped the police from taking any further action on the summons issued by the Aabpara Police Station to his client. However, he added that the police had registered a case on the same complaint and arrested him.

His counsel also informed the bench that another first information report (FIR) was registered in Karachi while Sheikh Rashid was in Islamabad police’s custody. At this, Justice Jahangir asked that if Poly Clinic [Islamabad] is the place where the statement was given then how was a case registered in Karachi?

He added that how multiple FIRs can be registered in different cities on the same incident. Then, Sheikh’s lawyer told the court that a third case was registered against his client in Murree. The IHC bench asked that has the arrest been made in all three cases?

The lawyer informed the court that the arrest was made in only one case. Justice Jahangiri remarked that as per law, arrest in one case is considered arrest in all cases. Later, the bench stopped the police from taking action in the cases registered against the former federal minister in Karachi and Lasbela and deferred the hearing till February 9.