LAHORE, April 14: Okara police admitted on Monday the arrest of the four Anjuman-i-Mazareen’s leaders before the Lahore High Court chief justice, who disposed of the habeas corpus petition filed for their recovery, and directing the petitioner to move relevant subordinate court for relief.

On the last hearing, the Lahore DSP (legal) had expressed ignorance to the arrest of the four leaders. Thereafter, the court insisted that the whereabouts of the arrested men should be disclosed to it.

According to the Okara police officials, Younis Iqbal, Dr Christopher John, Shahid Baloch and Fahim Ahmad had been booked in an FIR registered on April 3, 2003, with the South Cantonment police station in Okara on the charges of pelting bricks on the military officials deputed at the Okara Military Farm and raising slogans against them.

The officials also disclosed that the four AMP leaders had been sent to the judicial remand by an Okara magistrate after being produced before him on April 4.

The court was also informed that only Younis Iqbal was nominated in an FIR registered last year on the same charges, and the four leaders had been implicated in the fresh FIR after being nominated by the complainant in his supplementary statement.

The court observed that the petition was infructuous following the Okara police’s disclosure about the arrest of the four leaders, and the petitioner could move the appropriate legal forum for relief. It refused to accept the petitioner’s request that their arrest was an outcome of the political victimization and it should be decided in this context.

Petitioner Farooq Tariq had filed the habeas corpus petition, alleging that the four AMP leaders were travelling by a car on the Multan Road, Lahore, on April 2 when Rangers and policemen stopped them. The law-enforcers took the accused to an unknown place and impounded their car, the petitioner alleged.