PESHAWAR, April 28: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday ordered suspension of the assistant director (legal) Federal Investigation Agency and served a contempt of court notice on him. A two-member bench, comprising Chief Justice Tariq Pervez Khan and Justice Fazlur Rehman Khan, directed that the order be sent to the FIA and the assistant director, Ikramullah Khan, be suspended and should remain suspended till the disposal of the contempt of court case against him.

The court ordered the officer to explain why contempt of court proceedings should not be started against him.

The order was issued on a writ petition filed by the Travelling Agents Association, NWFP, challenging raids by FIA officials on a number of travelling agencies in violation of an earlier judgment of the PHC.

Ikramullah Khan, who appeared in the court, stated that the judge who had authored the previous judgment had not understood the situation.

The Peshawar High Court bench took exception to his assertions and asked him who had authorized him to interpret the judgment of the high court.

The chief justice observed that when the high court had issued clear directives in its judgment why did the Federal Investigation Agency violate it and now Ikramullah Khan was criticizing the judgment.

When the bench inquired whether any appeal had been filed against the earlier judgment, Deputy Attorney-General Salahuddin Khan replied in the negative. The court asked as to how could the judgment be violated when no appeal had been filed.—Bureau