IHC Reserves Verdict on Four Long March Detentions

ISLAMABAD, October 12, 2026: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has announced that it will issue orders on petitions challenging the detention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Members of the National Assembly Adil Bazai and Dawar Kundi, along with two other individuals, in connection with the PTI long march.

Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro heard the petitions, during which Islamabad Advocate General Naveed Malik informed the court that the detention orders issued under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance had been extended for another 15 days.

An important development emerged during the proceedings when the court was informed that Sadaqatullah, a worker associated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), was also among those detained.

Court Questions Detention of PML-N Worker

During the hearing, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro questioned the Advocate General about the detention of the PML-N worker.

“What should be done about the PML-N worker? Has his detention also been extended, or is he to be released?” the judge asked.

Responding to the court’s question, Advocate General Naveed Malik maintained that the authorities did not distinguish between individuals on the basis of political affiliation.

“We do not consider political parties. Everyone is equal before the law,” the Advocate General told the court.

He further stated that the law applied equally to anyone considered responsible for disturbing public order.

The Advocate General confirmed that the detention of the PML-N worker had also been extended.

Counsel representing the PML-N worker told the court that his client was a friend of PTI lawmaker Adil Bazai and had been detained after coming to meet him.

Advocate General Challenges Maintainability of Petitions

During the proceedings, Advocate General Naveed Malik argued that the petitions challenging the original detention orders had become ineffective following the extension of the MPO orders.

He informed the court that a further 15-day detention period had been authorized and maintained that the existing petitions were consequently no longer maintainable.

The Advocate General suggested that the petitioners should either withdraw their applications or allow the court to dispose of them.

However, counsel for the petitioners, Babar Awan, opposed the position taken by the Advocate General.

Awan questioned the suggestion that the petitioners should return to the office of the Islamabad Deputy Commissioner, who had originally issued the detention orders.

“They want me to go back to the same Deputy Commissioner who issued the MPO order,” Awan argued before the court.

Court Intervenes During Exchange Between Lawyers

The proceedings also witnessed a sharp exchange between Babar Awan and the Islamabad Advocate General over the legal status of the detention petitions.

As the arguments became heated, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro intervened and urged both lawyers to maintain professional decorum.

“You are both senior lawyers. Please do not behave like this,” the judge remarked.

Babar Awan subsequently told the court that he wished to present the case of two National Assembly members belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

“I want to present the case of two victimized members of the National Assembly from two victimized provinces,” he submitted.

He emphasized that one lawmaker belonged to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the other to Balochistan.

High Court to Issue Orders

Babar Awan and another counsel, Abdul Haleem, appeared for the petitioners, while Advocate General Naveed Malik represented the Islamabad administration.

The court heard the opposing arguments concerning the continued detention of the petitioners and the legal implications of extending the MPO orders.

Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro stated that the court would issue orders on the petitions.

The proceedings form part of the legal challenges brought against the detention of PTI lawmakers in connection with the party’s planned long march.

Earlier, Adil Bazai and Dawar Kundi had approached the Islamabad High Court to challenge their detention under Section 3 of the MPO Ordinance, seeking judicial relief against the orders issued by the Islamabad administration.

The latest hearing has brought the detention of a PML-N worker into focus alongside the cases involving PTI lawmakers, with the Advocate General maintaining that public order laws apply equally regardless of political affiliation.

The court’s written orders on the petitions had not been reported at the conclusion of the hearing.