ISLAMABAD: Former federal ministers Fawad Chaudhry and Murad Saeed have approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to seek protection against the alleged harassment by the federal government.

In separate petitions, both leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) expressed apprehensions at registration of fake cases and subsequent arrest.

The petitions stated that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had warned the PTI leadership of dire consequences, claiming that the incumbent government in the Centre wanted to teach the opposition a lesson.

It pointed out that the police had started raiding houses of the party leaders.

Both petitioners requested the court to seek a report from the police on cases registered against them and urged it to restrain the police from harassing them.

Fawad Chaudhry also appeared before IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and requested him to issue a restraining order for Islamabad police, however the chief justice declined the request, saying the court could not pass a blanket order.

Justice Minallah, however, remarked that the court had already sought details from the police about the first information reports (FIR) registered against PTI leaders across the country.

The IHC chief justice on Tuesday sought details of the cases registered against the PTI leadership following the incident of hooliganism in Masjid-i-Nabvi in Saudi Arabia.

The court directed the law officer to provide a detailed reply within a week and adjourned further hearing till Sept 23.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2022