LAHORE:
Fashion designer Khadija Shah was detained on Friday for a further 30 days under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance to ‘maintain law and order situation’ in Lahore.
The designer has been booked in multiple cases for her alleged involvement in riots that ensued Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9.
The order noted that she has become a “potential danger to public peace and law and order”. “There exists a genuine concern that she may once again incite the public to partake in destructive and vandalizing activities,” the SP Cantt Division and district intelligence branch mentioned in their recommendations.
“In order to prevent the above named activist from acting in a manner prejudicial to public safety and maintenance of public order and tranquility, it is requested that her Detention Order under section 3 of Maintenance of Public Order for a period of 30 days be issued,” the police recommended.
Read Top cop faces scrutiny in Khadija Shah case
Following the recommendations, the matter was reported to have been discussed in detail where members of the district intelligence committee endorsed the evidences and material provided by the police against her.
The Lahore High Court’s (LHC) division bench had granted Khadija post-arrest bails in two FIRs of setting ablaze Askari Tower and attacking Jinnah House on May 9.
As soon as her bail was granted in these two cases, the police arrested her in a third FIR for “abetting arson” of Rahat Bakery.
She then filed a plea in the LHC seeking contempt proceedings against the police high ups who, according to her, deceived the court by submitting report that stated that only two FIRs were registered against her.
The plea is pending before LHC’s Justice Ali Baqar Najafi who expressed dissatisfaction over the CCPO’s report submitted to the court.
On the court’s direction Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar appeared before the court, but failed to satisfy it over why the designer was arrested in a third case after she was granted bails.
The court questioned why the police preferred to wait for the court’s final order on her bail pleas; why was she not interrogated during custody and who will guarantee that she will not be arrested if she is granted bail in the third FIR.
