— National Assembly secretary ordered to submit a report on ‘unlawful’ arrest
ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday notified a commission to probe the arrest of former rights minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MP Shireen Mazari.
Mazari was arrested on May 21 in Islamabad over a decades-old land grabbing allegation, her daughter said. She was detained by police near her Islamabad home, daughter Imaan Mazari-Hazir said in a tweet.
Hours after the arrest, Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz ordered her release.
Mazari has been critical of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government in tweets since the government of former prime minister Imran Khan was toppled in a no-confidence vote in National Assembly in April.
The notification of the three-member inquiry committee, issued by the Cabinet Division, was also presented before Islamabad High Court (IHC).
According to the notification, retired Justice Abdul Shakoor Paracha will head the commission which comprised former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief Muhammad Naeem Khan and retired civil servant Saif Ullah Chattha.
The commission would inquire into the abuse of powers by government officials leading to deprivation of the right to liberty, ascertain the reason for failure to effectively investigate and hold perpetrators of the crime accountable, conduct an impartial and fair probe into Mazari’s arrest, and make recommendations to prevent such incidents in the future.
The commission would submit its report to the federal government within 30 days, the notification read.
NA SECY TO SUBMIT REPORT
Meanwhile, the court also directed the National Assembly secretary to submit a report on the incident, which Chief Justice Athar Minallah said was “not according to the legal process”.
The IHC was hearing a petition filed by Mazari-Hazir. During the proceedings, Justice Minallah termed Mazari’s arrest as unlawful.
It had also ordered a judicial inquiry into her arrest and asked the federal government to frame its terms of reference (ToRs).
Subsequently, the court directed the secretary to submit the report and adjourned the hearing till July 7.
