Irfan Siddiqui seeks bail order’s copy to produce before IHC

ISLAMABAD: Prominent columnist and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s adviser Irfan Siddiqui says in spite of continuous efforts his lawyers have not been able to get copy of bail orders from the court of duty magistrate/assistant commissioner Mehreen Bloch, which he wants to provide to the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

He has approached the IHC seeking quashment of the FIR registered by the Islamabad police a month back. A hearing is yet to be fixed.

Siddiqui says despite the lapse of one month it is not known whether an inquiry committee has been formed; if it has been established at what stage is the investigation; has it been determined on whose order the FIR was registered; has any action been taken against any official, on whose order the 76-year old was handcuffed; who pressurised to send him to Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, on 14-day judicial remand; why wasn’t he granted bail when produced before the magistrate after his arrest when it had become clear that he was innocent.

He said it was not known whether the case has been wrapped up or not. He said none from the offices of the prime minister and National Assembly speaker, administration, police, judiciary or any other department has contacted him so far. He said he had received a phone call from the speaker in which the latter had expressed regrets over the incident.

Siddiqui said his son was employed in Dubai for the past twenty years and was regularly paying tax on the house rent received by him. The columnist was arrested around midnight on July 26 from his son’s house in G-10/3 sector. Next day, he was produced handcuffed before the duty magistrate, Mehreen Baloch, who sent him to jail on 14-day judicial remand.

His lawyers quickly filed his bail plea which was not instantly heard by the magistrate and was fixed for July 29. The FIR registered against him said that he violated Section 144 as he did not report to police renting out the house. He made it clear that the house was owned by his son, who had it built. The plot allotment done by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was in his name. His son had signed the rental agreement.

Siddiqui said that on July 28, he received a call from the court of Mehreen Baloch informing him that he has been granted bail, and he should get the release order. The same evening he and tenant Iqbal were set free from the prison.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken notice of the incident and the handcuffing of a senior journalist will be investigated. The speaker also reacted strongly and said the matter will be probed. Interior Minister Brig (R) Ijaz Shah said the government has nothing to do with the incident and perhap this was sponsored by the Pakistan Muslim Lerague-Nawaz (PML-N), and this aspect will be looked into. Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa said that the incident embarrassed the judiciary.

After granting bail, the magistrate had fixed August 9 as the next date of hearing of the case. On that day, Siddiqui’s lawyers reached the court but she was not present. They were referred to different judicial officers who said they have not received the file of the case.