SHC restrains police from arresting Shahbaz Gill in sedition cases

KARACHI: Sindh High Court on Monday restrained police from arresting Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf leader and former advisor to prime minister Shahbaz Gill in sedition cases registered at Karachi police stations.

PTI leader Shahbaz Gill had approached the court against registration of cases pertained to abetment of mutiny at different police stations in Karachi. Petitioner Shahbaz Gill submitted in the petition that police have registered three cases against him at Brigade, Surjani Town and Rizvia police stations under abetment to mutiny, promoting enmity among different groups, issuing threats charges.

Petitioner counsel Anwar Mansoor Khan submitted that Supreme Court’s larger bench had held that only one FIR could be registered on one incident and all other FIRs in identical matter would be declared unlawful. He submitted that instant FIRs were registered against the petitioner on private complaint which was general in nature besides private individual could not be complainant on behalf of state or any other department of the state. He submitted that nature of allegations against the petitioner was same as leveled in FIRs registered at Lahore and on the basis of same occurrence other FIRs cannot be lodged. He submitted that FIRs of identical nature have been registered against the petitioner throughout the country including the Sindh which are liable to be quashed.

The court was requested to declare the FIRs registered against the petitioner in three police stations of Karachi as unlawful and be quashed in light of Supreme Court judgment. He also requested the court to restrain the police from arresting the petitioner in cases till next date of hearing.

The court directed prosecutor general as well as SSPs of South, East and Central to file their comments and in meantime restrained the police from arresting the petitioner in these cases till further orders.