Pakistan national assembly speaker on Friday declared the Parliament Lodges Islamabad as sub-jail for the 10 lawmakers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, arrested by the Islamabad police under Anti-Terrorism Act and newly imposed Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024.
The Islamabad High Court, on the other hand, set aside the physical remand of the PTI lawmakers, sending them to jail on judicial remand, reports Dawn.
With regard to declaring the parliament lodges sub-jail for arrested lawmakers, an official of the National Assembly Secretariat wrote a letter to Secretary Interior,聽 saying: 鈥業 am directed to refer to the production order issued on Sept 11 by the National Assembly Speaker in respect of the PTI lawmakers arrested recently to enable them to attend the sitting of 9th Session of National Assembly and to inform that in exercise of power conferred by sub-rules (3) of rule 108 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007, the Honourable Speaker has been pleased to declare the Parliament Lodges, Islamabad, as sub-jail for their custody after each sitting of the National Assembly.鈥�
Police officials told Dawn that that the suites allocated to these MNAs at the Parliament Lodges were the sub-jail for the MNAs and they were detained there.
These MNAs were arrested in connection with cases registered at Sangjani and at Noon Police station under several charges, they added.
There are no special arrangements and deployment in and outside the sub-jails (suites), as police were already present there, the officials said, adding that services of the available police officers and officials are being utilized for the jail superintendent and staff.
They said that under the written directives of the Speaker issued to the interior secretary the suites of the MNAs were declared sub-jail. So far any necessary notification in this regard is yet to be issue from the capital administration or police.
The chief justice noted that the PTI leaders were in custody of police for the last four days and there is no need to hold them on physical remand.
He expressed displeasure over the arrest of lawmakers from the Parliament House saying that the parliament is the mother of all institutions. The court subsequently ruled against the physical remand of the petitioners.