- IHC regrets that political parties file unfounded lawsuits against rivals.
- It says that only 1 FIR per incident could be registered at the relevant station.
- Court dismisses case filed against Rashid at Karachi Police Station.
ISLAMABAD: Delivering the detailed verdict on Sheikh Rashid Ahmed's plea to dismiss multiple cases filed against him across the country over his “indecent” comments on Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) stated that only one First Information Report (FIR) could be registered per incident, and only at the concerned police station.
Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, in a comprehensive 41-page verdict delivered on Saturday, underlined that it was a well-established legal principle that a person could not be prosecuted multiple times for the same offence.
On 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's Mochko Police Station in Keamari following a complaint by a local PPP leader.
The apex court lamented the fact that political parties, while in power, often file baseless cases against their political opponents by filing multiple cases on the same charge in different parts of the country, the verdict said.
He added that this practice of harassing and torturing political opponents was a flagrant violation of the country's established laws.
The detailed verdict further said that apart from the concerned police station, no other FIR could be registered for a single incident.
“It is the responsibility of the constitutional courts to protect the rights of citizens. In the case of Sheikh Rashid, the incident occurred at Islamabad Polyclinic Hospital, therefore the court exercised its jurisdiction over him,” the verdict reads.
The court dismissed the case filed at the Karachi police station.
Informed judicial assistants and police officers Geographic news that it was not appropriate to register FIR for the Islamabad incident in other provinces.
On this basis, cases in Peshawar, Lahore and Lasbela were also dismissed.
Sheikh Rashid was accused of using “unethical and extremely obscene” language against the former foreign minister in the FIR lodged at the Karachi police station, despite the fact that these words were uttered in Islamabad.
Police said the case was invalid because the incident occurred in Islamabad.
A 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 case Sughran Bibi vs State, “which dictates that multiple FIRs cannot be registered for a single incident”.
The court's decision underlined that political parties should reconsider their stance before filing unfounded lawsuits, as this is detrimental to democracy and the rule of law. This ruling reestablishes a crucial legal principle, essential to guarantee justice and protect the rights of citizens.
