Federal court suspends PHC orders on MPO arrests

The Federal Constitutional Court has barred the Peshawar High Court (PHC) from hearing cases related to arrests made under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law.

A two-member bench of the Federal Constitutional Court, headed by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan, heard a review petition challenging the Peshawar High Court’s decision to stop arrests under the MPO.

During the hearing, Shah Faisal, counsel for one of the parties, requested the court to hear their arguments before issuing a stay order. He maintained that the provincial government’s three objections could not be sustained.

In response, Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan asked the counsel to first read the court’s order and then submit their objections. He said notices were being issued to all parties in the case and that they could file their applications after reviewing the court’s order.

Subsequently, the Federal Constitutional Court restrained the Peshawar High Court from hearing cases concerning arrests under the MPO. It also suspended the challenged orders issued by different benches of the high court.

The case relates to earlier interim orders issued by the Peshawar High Court, which had restrained authorities from making arrests under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (3-MPO).

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government challenged those interim orders before the Federal Constitutional Court, seeking their suspension.

The latest development comes as the legal dispute over the provincial government’s authority to make preventive arrests under the MPO remains before the courts.