ISLAMABAD: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Friday rejected the post-arrest bail applications of four lawyers arrested for storming into the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Feb 8. ATC Judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan dismissed the bail applications of advocates Naveed Hayat Malik, Chaudhry Zafar Ali Warraich, Nazia Bibi and Sheikh Mohammad Shoaib.

The detained lawyers in their petition maintained that the First Information Report (FIR) registered against them in connection with the Feb 8 incident was totally false, fabricated, concocted and baseless.

The petition said the four lawyers were innocent and the case should be further probed. “Moreover, sections alleged in the FIR are not attracted against present petitioners.”

But the judge observed that the petitioners were among the 300 lawyers who damaged the Chief Justice Block and even the chamber of the IHC chief justice was not spared besides holding the chief justice in confinement for quite some time.

“The petitioners being present at the scene of crime and directly charged with joint commission of alleged offences attracting the prohibitory clause of Section 497 of the Criminal Procedure Code have failed to bring on record justifiable grounds for exercise of concession of post-arrest bail in their favour,” said the court order.

IHC chief justice directs police not to harass lawyers not involved in attack on court

Meanwhile, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah sought a report from the chief commissioner and the inspector general of police Islamabad on a complaint that police were harassing lawyers who were not involved in the IHC attack case.

The chief justice issued the direction on the complaint of senior lawyer Mohammad Nazir Jawad who said police officials had raided his chamber on Thursday.

Justice Minallah expressed concern over indiscriminate raids on offices of lawyers to arrest those who had attacked the IHC building.

He remarked that Mr Jawad was not involved in any manner in the grave incident and instead of apprehending the miscreants actually involved in the incident, some other members of the bar who had no role in it were being harassed.

The court sought a report from the chief commissioner and the IGP within two hours to explain why those who were not involved in the incident were being harassed.

They were also directed to explain their failure in apprehending those who were actually involved in storming the high court.

Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat and SSP Islamabad Mustafa Tanveer who appeared before the court “were unable to explain why the persons involved in storming of the High Court have not been arrested and instead those who are honorable members of the Bar having no concern with the incident are being harassed,” Justice Minallah noted.

The court directed the officials to conduct an inquiry and submit a joint report explaining on whose orders members of the bar not involved in the storming of the high court were harassed.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2021