ISLAMABAD (PEN) : Since morning, a contingent of Mianwali police has encircled the sessions court premises with the intention of re-arresting 37 Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) workers who were booked in cases dating back to May 9.
Despite being acquitted by ATC courts in Sargodha on Tuesday, including former MNA Amjad Ali Khan, the PTI workers were apprehended by Mianwali City Police upon their release from Sargodha central jail under section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).
Presented before Duty Magistrate Mohammad Asif Mustafi on Wednesday, it came to light that another case had been registered against them by Wan-Bhachran police in Mianwali, involving charges such as rioting, attempted murder, and assault under the Pakistan Penal Code, along with section 16 of the MPO, while they were in police custody.
Although the duty magistrate dismissed certain charges and released the workers on personal bonds, ordering the removal of their handcuffs within the court premises, the police initially refused to comply. The district and sessions judge intervened, directing the police to release the workers or face legal repercussions, as arresting individuals from court premises is impermissible.
Subsequently, the handcuffs were removed, but the police maintained their presence outside the court, prepared to arrest the party workers again at the time of this report.
Fateh Khan Niazi, president of the bar association, condemned the police action as unconstitutional and illegal, highlighting that while Amjad Ali Khan and some workers were arrested under section 3 of the MPO, the majority remained within the court premises.