Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has instructed authorities to include the name of Islamabad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Irfan Nawaz Memon on the no-fly list for failing to attend proceedings in a contempt case related to the detention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shehryar Afridi under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance.

The ordinance grants extensive detention powers to the government and has been utilized to apprehend PTI leaders following the May 9 riots. Justice Babar Sattar presided over the case against the Islamabad DC and Islamabad Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Malik Jamil Zafar for allegedly exceeding their authority by issuing orders under Section 3 of the MPO. During the hearing, SSP Operations Zafar and Superintendent of Police (SP) Farooq Buttar appeared in court as summoned. However, the lawyer representing Islamabad DC submitted a plea for Memon’s exemption from the court, stating that Memon was currently in Khairpur for Umrah.

Justice Sattar rejected the plea for exemption, ordering the Ministry of Interior and DG Passports to ensure that Memon’s name is placed on the Exit Control List (ECL), preventing him from leaving Pakistan’s territorial jurisdiction. The court also directed the inspector generals of police (IGPs) of all four provinces and the federal capital to arrest the Islamabad DC and present him before the court on Wednesday at 9 am.

Published in The Daily National Courier, February, 21 2024

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