ISLAMABAD: On Wednesday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) stripped Islamabad’s district magistrate of his powers to detain suspects under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).
Justice Babar Sattar gave the ruling during a hearing of petitions filed by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders Sheharyar Afridi and Shandana Gulzar, both of whom were detained under the MPO on the district magistrate’s orders. The IHC suspended the orders.
In response to the court’s query regarding the law that empowers the detention of a suspect, the Attorney General for Pakistan produced a notification dating back to 1965. Justice Sattar observed that the notification could not justify the detention of citizens and decided to issue a notice to the Attorney General. Source: dawnnews.com
Saturday, April 18, 2026
