Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah on Thursday stressed that religion should not be dragged into politics and restrained the police from registering new cases against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leadership under the blasphemy laws over the Masjid-i-Nabwi incident.

The IHC Chief Justice was hearing a petition filed by PTI leader and former information minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain requesting the court to declare as illegal all the cases registered against the PTI members under the blasphemy laws over the Masjid-i-Nabwi incident.

During the proceedings, the Chief Justice suggested that the state should gather the entire leadership of the country and decide that religion should not be used as a ‘political tool’, as we had already suffered a lot due to such things.

Regarding validity of the previous cases registered against the PTI leadership/members, the Chief Justice directed the Attorney General for Pakistan to assist the court.

When the hearing commenced, officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) apprised the court that the agency did not initiate any inquiry in its Counter-Terrorism or Cybercrime Wings against the PTI leadership in the case. However, they said the local police has started investigation into the cases.

Just after some Pakistani pilgrims chanted slogans at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation during their visit to the Masjid-i-Nabwi last month, the cases were registered against the PTI’s top brass including Imran Khan, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Qasim Khan Suri and Shahbaz Gill.