Five Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Members of the National Assembly (MNAs), including Amir Dogar, have petitioned the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to contest an eight-day physical remand order. The MNAs argue that their arrest from the assembly premises was illegal, lacking justification, and that they were taken to an undisclosed location before the remand was approved.
The petitioners claim that the remand order infringes upon their constitutional rights under Article 4 and 10-A. They also argue that the FIR does not detail their involvement in the alleged offense and that no injuries were reported from the incident in question.
The petitioners are seeking a declaration from the IHC that the physical remand order issued by the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) is unconstitutional and unlawful.
The arrests of PTI MNAs, including party chairman Barrister Gohar, Sher Afzal Marwat, and Shoaib Shaheen, were sanctioned by NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. The Capital police also detained MNAs Zain Qureshi and Sheikh Waqas Akram from inside the Parliament House. Additionally, other notable figures, including Owais Ahmed Chatha, Syed Shah Ahmed, and Sunni Ittehad Council’s Sahibzada Hamid Raza, were arrested.
The arrests followed an FIR filed against the PTI lawmakers for allegedly violating SOPs during a September 8 rally. Three cases have been registered under the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill in Islamabad, naming 28 individuals, including several PTI leaders.
In related news, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister has returned safely to the KP CM House after a seven-hour absence during the crackdown on PTI leaders.
