PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday suspended operation over a case registered in North Waziristan against two former lawmakers and Swat’s tehsil mayor accusing them of sedition and directed the police not to arrest them.

A bench consisting of Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah issued notice to the respondents including the provincial government, North Waziristan district police officer (DPO) and other officials and also sought record of the case.

The bench fixed Dec 7 for next hearing of a petition jointly filed by the three leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, including former MNA Saleemur Rehman, ex-MPA Fazal Hakeem and mayor of Babuzai tehsil (Swat), Shahid Ali Khan, requesting the court to order quashing of the FIR registered at Miramshah police station on Nov 2, 2023.

The FIR was registered on complaint filed by a resident of North Waziristan, Malik Abdullah Zaib, under sections 12-B (criminal conspiracy), 124-A (sedition), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505 (statement conducing to public mischief) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The complainant claimed that he was a patriotic citizen and had seen a video on social media wherein the said three leaders were addressing around 200 to 250 workers and were using provocative language.

The complainant alleged that the suspects were saying that they would ‘set Pakistan on fire’ and ‘would not spare army officers and their children’. He claimed that the suspects had tried to provoke general public towards sedition against Pakistan Army and the government.

Advocate Alam Khan Adenzai and Inamullah Yousafzai appeared for the petitioners and contended that they were implicated in a fake case and was based on mala fide intentions.

They argued that the petitioners belonged to Swat and on the same issue first an FIR was registered in Swat, then in South Waziristan and now in North Waziristan.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2023