PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court on Thursday disposed of pleas of three lawmakers and leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf after the government provided reports of law enforcement agencies about cases registered against them.

A bench consisting of Justice Sahibzada Asadullah and Justice Sabitullah Khan decided to dispose of petitions filed by MNAs Sheharyar Afridi and Dawar Khan Kundi and Provincial Minister Aftab Alam as the assistant attorney general, Daulat Khan, submitted reports about the cases related to them.

The petitioners had sought directives of the court for federal government and law enforcement agencies to provide details of criminal cases registered against them so that they could approach relevant courts.

Advocate Muazzam Butt appeared for Sheharyar Afridi and contended that his client was a central leader of PTI and had been targeted by the government.

Protective bails to several leaders of the party extended till April 15

He stated that the petitioner had been charged in multiple criminal cases but government had not been providing details of the same. He added that under Article 19-A of the Constitution, it was the right of the petitioner to get information about the cases wherein he had been charged.

The AAG stated that he had submitted report about Mr Afridi. He said that he had been charged in six cases registered in different police stations in Islamabad.

About Dawar Kundi, the bench was informed that the petitioner had been charged in three cases registered in Dera Ismail Khan and a single case in Islamabad. The AAG said that the petitioner was not charged in any case by National Accountability Bureau and Federal Investigation Agency.

Moreover, the AAG informed the bench that petitioner Aftab Alam had not been charged in any case in Islamabad. He added that his name was also clear in the record of NAB and FIA.

Meanwhile, the bench also extended protective bails to different PTI leaders till April 15, with the direction to government to submit details of cases against them.

These petitioners included MNAs Iqbal Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz, MPA Sohail Afridi and PTI leaders Mashal Yousafzai and Nadia Khattak. The bench directed law enforcement agencies not to arrest them in any registered cases till April 15.

Also, the bench granted protective bail to former MNA and district nazim of Attock, retired Major Tahir Sadiq, till April 17, directing the government not to arrest him till then.

The bench directed the petitioner to approach the relevant court by that date, failing which the present order would become ineffective.

Advocate Alam Khan Adenzai appeared along with the petitioner Tahir Sadiq and stated that his client had been abroad, but still he had been charged in a criminal case. He said that the petitioner had now reached Pakistan and appeared before the bench to get protective bail.

He said that the petitioner was a leader of PTI and intended to approach the relevant court. However, he added that he apprehended that he would be arrested by law enforcement agencies before his appearance before the court.

AAG Daulat Khan stated that if the government intended to arrest him, it would have apprehended him on arrival to Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2025