PESHAWAR: A Peshawar High Court bench on Tuesday directed the provincial government and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to file comprehensive replies in a contempt of court case related to the alleged misbehaviour of army personnel with a high court judge in Bannu cantonment and the subsequent uploading of video footage of the incident on social media.

Justice Irshad Qaisar and Justice Qalander Ali Khan also directed the federal government, including defence ministry, and the provincial government to produce details of meetings held between security forces and other relevant officials regarding the functioning of security checkpoints in the province.

The bench was hearing a contempt of court petition filed by the additional registrar of the PHC`s Circuit Bench in Bannu against the relevant personnel deputed at the Muslim Gate checkpoint, where the incident had taken place.

It also heard two other petitions filed by different lawyer organisations, regarding the functioning of military checkpoints in Peshawar and Bannu.

The incident took place on May 27 when a judge of the PHC, Justice Ikramullah Khan, was on the way to Bannu cantonment area along with a police escort vehicle.

The two vehicles were allegedly stopped by the security personnel and that a policeman, who was part of the escort vehicle, informed security personnel about the judge but they insisted the judge should show his service card.

Deputy attorney general Mussaratullah Khan appeared for the federal government during the hearing, while additional advocate general Qaisar Ali Shah represented the provincial government.

PTA director (legal) Jawad Akhtar and lawyers Anwarul Haq, Pir Hameedullah and Ayaz Khan also turned up.

PTA representative Jawad Akhtar informed the bench that in accordance with the court`s directives, the authority had blocked all those links on which the said video footage was uploaded. He however, said certain issues, including the uploading of a written condemnation of the incident, didn`t fall in the domain of the PTA.

The bench directed him to file a comprehensive reply on all such issues explaining how many links were blocked and what action were taken against the responsible persons. AAG Qaisar Ali Shah said although he had filed comments on behalf of some of the officials of the provincial government, those were not available on file and he would place the same on file.

He requested the bench to give him one-week time for filing comments of the remaining officials.

Ayaz Khan, lawyer for the petition of former PHCBA president Essa Khan, said citizens had still been facing problems at different security checl(points. He pointed out that the high court had earlier issued directives to the federal and provincial government and security forces to convene meetings for evolving policy regarding these checkpoints.

The lawyer said the petitioner was not aware about what progress had taken place and whether meetings were convened in that regard or not. He requested the bench to call the record of those meetings to know what decisions were made therein.