IHC stops arrest of Shehryar Afridi, Shandana Gulzar until next week

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday stopped authorities from arresting PTI’s Shehryar Afridi and Shandana Gulzar in any further case, until the next week.

The court conducted a hearing regarding an application filed by Shehryar Afridi and Shandana Gulzar against the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) order.

The case was presided over by Justice Babar Sattar. However, the notable absence of lawyer Babar Awan, who had previously presented arguments at the last hearing, was observed, and an assistant lawyer represented the case in court.

During the proceedings, the court summoned the Additional Attorney General to provide insights into the MPO application filed in Islamabad.

Justice Babar Sattar requested the Additional Attorney General to either present arguments or submit a written reply regarding the matter.

Additional AG Manoor Iqbal Dogal appeared in the court, and the court questioned the reasons for the federal government’s reluctance to engage with the court.

In response, the Additional AG requested some time to submit written arguments.

However, the court expressed its concern, noting that the matter had been pending for two months, and a week should have been sufficient to decide on it.

The court accepted the plea and adjourned the hearing of the case until the following week, while preventing the arrest of PTI leaders till the next hearing.