ISLAMABAD: The capital police on Thursday arrested PTI-affiliated lawyer Mustafain Kazmi from his house in connection with a case registered against him and others.

A police officer told Dawn that the case against the lawyer and former CDA board member was registered at the Secretariat police station under sections 7 (Punishment for acts of terrorism) and 11-X (Responsibility for creating civil commotion) along with sections 506ii (Punishment for criminal intimidation: If threat be to cause death or grievous hurt, etc), 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint) of PPC and Section 8 of Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024.

A police team, including women officials, reached the house of Kazmi at F-7 and arrested him, he added.

He was taken to the Secretariat police station and later shifted to another police installation, the officer said.

He quoted the FIR as stating, “Mustafain Kazmi along with PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, Advocates Salman Akram Raja, Abdullah Wazir, Nasim Haider Janjua, Zubair Ahmed, Niaz Ullah Niazi, Chaudhry Ishtiq, Tariq Noon, Bashir Ahmed, Mohammad Ahsan, MNA Latif Khosa, Atiq Siddiqi, Asim Baig, Ansar Kiani, Sardar Masroof, Barrister Malik Talha Rahim, former Senator Azam Sawati and Senator Shibli Faraz along with 100 to 120 other people holding PTI flags and batons reached in front of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

“They blocked the road and chanted slogans against superior courts and the state.”

They also set old tyres on fire and stopped the police from performing their duty and blocked both sides of the road. They were informed about the imposition of Section 144 in the capital, however, they put up resistance and threatened the police with dire consequences, he said, adding that they wanted to terrorise the judiciary to fulfill their political agenda.

The officer said that so far only Kazmi had been arrested in connection with the FIR. More arrests will be made and in this regard directions were awaited from quarters concerned, he added.

It may be noted here that during the hearing of a review petition against the top court’s judgement on Article 63A, Kazmi had questioned that when the PTI was an aggrieved party how come the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) had become involved in the matter.

Since the lawyer was speaking without permission, the chief justice asked him to take his seat. The lawyer ignored him and continued with his tirade. On his persistence, the CJP observed that he should be removed from the courtroom by police.

“Go ahead, call the police, this is what you always do,” the lawyer responded while leaving the rostrum. He also said what was being done in the courtroom was ‘all fraud’.

“There are some 400 lawyers outside the court building and we will see how an adverse decision comes against the party,” he had said.

“He even had the audacity to threaten us,” the CJP regretted. “We will not accept this when insults are hurled to our face,” the top judge added.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2024