ISLAMABAD: A senior police officer, facing charges of being lenient towards the participants of Islamabad`s `sit-ins` in August, on Saturday approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the charge-sheet.

The police officer Mohammad Ali Nekokara allegedly defied the government orders to use force against participants of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) `sit-ins` when they were entering the `Red Zone`.

Nekokara was SSP when he allegedly defied interior ministry`s orders of crackdown on `sit-in` participants.

On November 18, charges were framed against Nekokara for `disobeying` the orders of his seniors and seeking leave at the time of crisis.

The Establishment Division has appointed secretary foreign affairs to investigate the charges against the then SSP.

In the petition filed through Shuaib Shaheen advocate, the police officer cited secretary Foreign Affairs, secretary Establishment and secretary Interior as respondents.

In the petition, the officer stated that during a high-level meeting at the interior ministry he refused to use force against the participants of `sit-ins`. Following the meeting, Nekokara through `short-message service` SMS informed the secretary interior that he could not remove the `peaceful protesters` from the site through use of force, the petition claimed.

According to the petition, on August 28, he issued directions to his subordinates not to use force against the `peaceful protesters` without his prior permission.

The petitioner also requested his seniors to send him on leave or post him to any other location and after August 31, he was made officer on special duty and his services were referred to the Establishment Division.

The petition said that on November 18, charges were framed against Nekokara.

The petition pointed out that the peaceful assembly of citizen was a fundamental right and an officer could not be penalized for protecting the basic rights of the fellow citizens.