MANSEHRA / ABBOTT­ABAD: The Peshawar High Court, Abbottabad circuit bench, on Thursday set aside an order of the Mansehra deputy commissioner and ordered the release of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Mufti Kifayatullah, who was arrested under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance.

The two-member bench, comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Shakeel Ahmed, after hearing the arguments declared the order of the deputy commissioner void and ordered Mufti Kifayatullah’s release. He was arrested on charges of collecting funds for the JUI-F Azadi march and disrupting law and order.

Meanwhile, Maulana Habibur Rehman, brother of Mufti Kifayatullah, said that a convoy of his party was on the way to the Haripur prison to receive Mufti Kifayatullah and later he would move to Islamabad to take part in the march.

Talking to reporters after the court order, he said: “We welcome the verdict which set aside the MPO order issued by Mansehra deputy commissioner and released Mufti Kifayatullah.”

The Mansehra and Islamabad police in a joint operation had arrested Mufti Kifayatullah on Oct 26 and shifted him to Haripur prison.

A panel of lawyers, including Ghulam Murtaza Khan, Usman Salim Anwar and Saeedur Rehman, appeared on behalf of petitioner Mufti Kifayatullah before the court.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2019