No FIR against Dr Arif Alvi pending with FIA, high court told

No case has been registered against former president and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Dr Arif Alvi with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the federal law officer told the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday.

Filing comments on behalf of the FIA on Dr Alvi’s petition against cases registered against him, the federal law officer said that no FIR against the petitioner is pending with the FIA.

The court had earlier directed the Sindh government to submit the complete list of FIRs lodged against Dr Alvi in the province. The additional prosecutor general, however, sought more time to place on record if FIRs are pending against the petitioner throughout the province.

A constitutional bench of the SHC headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha granted time to the law officer and directed him to submit the report by January 2. The court also continued the interim order restraining the police from arresting the petitioner in further cases.

The petitioner’s counsel Ali Tahir said the petitioner has falsely been involved in cases on the basis of political victimisation. He said that a number of FIRs have been lodged against the petitioner in the province.

He pointed out that the petitioner is unaware of those cases and has expressed apprehension that he might be arrested at any time in connection with those FIRs. The counsel said that the purpose of the FIRs is to harass the petitioner to discourage him from continuing his peaceful political struggle against the government.

He requested the court to grant protection to the petitioner because there is apprehension that he can be arrested in blind FIRs. He also asked for granting an injunction against the registration of fresh cases against the petitioner.

The SHC had earlier granted protective bail to the former president in three cases registered at different police stations in Punjab. Dr Alvi had moved the SHC for obtaining protective and transitory bail in connection with three criminal cases registered against him at police stations in Mianwali, Taxila and Rawalpindi.

The SHC had also directed the provincial law officer to submit the details of the cases pending against another PTI leader, Azam Khan Swati, in the province with the signatures of the provincial police chief.