Omar Ayub files contempt plea in PHC against his arrest outside Adiala jail

PESHAWR: leader of the opposition in national Assembly Omar Ayub on Saturday filed a contempt of court petition in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) against his arrest by the Rawalpindi Police.

Ayub, in the petition, has named Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP), and the Attok District Police Officer (DPO) as respondents.

According to the petition, Omar Ayub had been granted protective bail by the Peshawar High Court, but despite the court’s order, he was arrested from outside Adiala Jail. The PTI leader claims that his detention was illegal and without justification, asserting that his constitutional rights were violated. Ayub demands the high court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the officials involved in his arrest.

The development comes just days after Ayub, along with four other PTI leaders, was arrested in connection with the attack on the GHQ attack case, despite being on bail. The Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) had intervened, ordering the release of the PTI leaders and issuing contempt of court notices to five police officers involved in the arrests. The ATC expressed its displeasure over the illegal detention, stressing that the arrests were made despite the court’s clear instructions.

The ATC Rawalpindi issued stern orders barring the arrest of any accused within a 500-meter radius of Adiala Jail in the future. The judge also expressed frustration over the continuing violations of bail orders, highlighting that the law must be respected at all levels of the judiciary.

On the same day, Ayub, along with PTI leaders Raja Basharat and Ahmed Chatta, was presented before the Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court. The PTI legal team, led by senior lawyer Babar Awan, presented interim bail orders for Omar Ayub and Raja Basharat in the court. The police presented Ayub, Basharat, Chatta, Majid Daniyal, and Malik Azeem, but the court granted relief by accepting the bail documents.