Daily Times

Secretariat police on Wednesday arrested former senator Faisal Raza Abidi after he appeared before the Supreme Court.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Azmat Saeed Khosa heard a contempt case against Abidi earlier in the day.

During the hearing, the former senator requested the court to adjourn the case till his lawyer returned from Umrah or grant him time to hire a new counsel. Approving Abidi’s request, the bench adjourned the hearing till October 30 and issued a notice to the attorney general in this regard.

However, following his appearance when Abidi left the Supreme Court and was crossing Constitution Avenue to return to his residence, he was arrested by Secretariat police.

Police sources said another case was registered on Tuesday night against Abidi which includes charges of defamation. He has been arrested in the case registered by ASI Shaukat Abbasi, sources added.

Earlier on September 21, a case was registered against the former senator for using inappropriate words for the chief justice of Pakistan. The complaint was registered by the apex court’s Public Relations Officer Shahid Hussain Kamboyo in the Secretariat Police Station under Pakistan Penal Code’s sections 228, 500, 505(ii) and 34 along with Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). On September 28, the Sindh government issued approval to the Islamabad police to arrest Abidi.

Abidi served as the Karachi division president of the Pakistan Peoples Party but later stepped down from the post.

Speaking to the media following Abidi’s arrest, his brother said, “This is injustice as he appeared before the top court and he had been granted bail earlier in the case.” His brother further said that there are three cases against the former senator, which pertain to cyber crime, contempt and another registered in the Secretariat Police Station.

Published in Daily Times, September 11^th 2018.