Islamabad DC, SSP given jail sentence for contempt of court

ISLAMABAD – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued sentences for the federal capital’s Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon, Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Jameel Zafar, and Station House Officer (SHO) Naseer Manzoor of Kohsar Police Station for contempt of court.

These officials were found guilty of ordering the detention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Shehryar Afridi and Shandana Gulzar under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance. The court handed down a six-month prison sentence to the Islamabad DC, four months to the SSP, and two months to the SHO. Additionally, each of them was fined Rs100,000.

However, the court suspended the sentences for a month and granted the DC time to appeal the decision. The IHC had previously indicted DC Memon and three police officials, including SSP Zafar, on September 7, 2023, in a contempt case related to the detention of PTI leaders. 

On August 16, the IHC had suspended the detention orders and ordered the immediate release of the PTI leaders.

These leaders had been detained following the May 9 riots, which erupted after the arrest of PTI chief Imran Khan earlier in the year. Despite pleading not guilty and offering unconditional apologies, the IHC declined their plea for unconditional pardon. Furthermore, DC Memon’s name was placed on the no-fly list for skipping court proceedings, and he received a show-cause notice for his absence.