ISLAMABAD
\nIssuing the detailed verdict on Sheikh Rashid Ahmed\u2019s petition to dismiss multiple cases filed against him across the country over his \u201cindecent\u201d comments about Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared that only one first information report (FIR) could be registered per incident, and only with the relevant police station.
\nJustice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, in a 41-page full verdict issued on Saturday, underscored that it was a well-settled principle of law that a person could not be prosecuted multiple times for the same offence.
\nOn June 25, the IHC dismissed the case filed against the Awami Muslim League (AML) chief in February last year for using offensive words against the PPP chief. The FIR was registered by Karachi\u2019s Mochko police station in Keamari on a complaint of a local PPP leader.
\nThe high court expressed regret over the fact that political parties, while in power, often lodge baseless cases against their political opponents, filing multiple cases for the same charge in different parts of the country, according to the verdict.
\nIt added that this practice of harassing and torturing political opponents was a blatant violation of established laws of the land.
\nThe detailed verdict further said that apart from the relevant police station, no other FIR could be registered for a single incident.
\n\u201cIt is the constitutional courts\u2019 responsibility to protect citizens\u2019 rights. In Sheikh Rashid\u2019s case, the incident occurred at PolyClinic Hospital in Islamabad , hence the court exercised its jurisdiction over it,\u201d the verdict read.
\nThe court dismissed the case filed at Karachi\u2019s police station.
\nJudicial assistants and police informed Geo News that it was inappropriate to register FIRs for the Islamabad incident in other provinces.
\nOn this basis, cases in Peshawar, Lahore, and Lasbela were also dismissed.
\nSheikh Rashid was accused of using \u201cunethical and extremely obscene\u201d language against the former foreign minister in the FIR lodged at the Karachi police station, despite these words being uttered in Islamabad.
\nThe police said that the case was invalid as the incident occurred in Islamabad.
\nA senior police officer mentioned that due to the sensitivity of the Bilawal Bhutto matter, an official statement could not be provided, citing the Supreme Court\u2019s Sughran Bibi vs State case, \u201cwhich dictates that multiple FIRs cannot be registered for a single incident\u201d.
\nThe court\u2019s decision underscored that political parties should reconsider before filing baseless cases, as it was detrimental to democracy and the rule of law. This ruling reinstates a crucial legal principle, essential for ensuring justice and protecting citizens\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Issuing the detailed verdict on Sheikh Rashid Ahmed\u2019s petition to dismiss multiple cases filed against him across the country over his \u201cindecent\u201d comments about Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared that only one first information report (FIR) could be registered per incident, and only with the relevant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-415374","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n