Aftab Iqbal, the news anchor, was discharged, and Imran Riaz will be brought before a judge soon.
The LHC released Aftab Iqbal immediately and ordered the IGP to bring Imran Riaz Khan before the court today.
On Friday, the chief judge of the Lahore High Court suspended the “detention notification” of well-known anchorman Aftab Iqbal and ordered that he be released immediately.
Meanwhile, Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti has demanded that journalist Imran Riaz Khan be brought before the court by 6:00 p.m. today.
The journalists were taken into custody on Thursday for their outspoken support of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and his policies.
After former prime minister Imran Khan’s detention from the Islamabad High Court on May 9, the government reacted swiftly and began a crackdown against the PTI’s supporters.
Anchor and television broadcaster Aftab Iqbal was taken from his Lahore farmhouse on the same day as Imran Riaz Khan’s arrest at the Sialkot Airport for allegedly instigating violence during clashes between security personnel and PTI supporters.
The detention of the two anchors was strongly criticized by the Council of Pakistani Newspaper Editors (CPNE), who called for their immediate release and said that any attempt to stifle journalists’ freedom of expression was intolerable.
Two petitions contesting the illegal detention of the two journalists were being heard before LHC Chief Justice Bhatti. Petitioners asked that once the suspects were freed from illegal police custody, they be brought before a judge.
Aftab Iqbal, a news anchor, was brought into court as the trial began. The Chief Justice Bhatti expressed doubt about the legitimacy of the journalist’s detention.
The police officer replied that due to the volatile nature of the current law and order situation, the deputy commissioner had issued an arrest warrant for him under Section 3MPO. According to the officer, the deputy commissioner could legally hold someone in custody under that particular subsection.
When Chief Justice Bhatti asked if Aftab Iqbal was feeling well, Iqbal gave an upbeat response.
However, the Chief Justice ordered Aftab Iqbal’s release and suspended the detention notification. He also requested responses from the appropriate agencies before the next scheduled hearing.
Imran Riaz, a journalist, was also detained under Section 3MPO, however Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar notified the court that Riaz had been released from jail. After Imran Riaz Khan promised not to violate the Constitution, the deputy commissioner ordered him discharge.
As soon as Chief Justice Bhatti heard this, he issued an order to the Inspector General of Prisons to bring Imran Riaz Khan before the court today no later than 6:00 PM.
