An Islamabad court has ‘discharged’ Gen (retd) Amjad Shoaib from a sedition case, three days after he was arrested by the police and remanded into police custody.

This effectively means his name has been removed from the case though the FIR itself stands.

It is extremely rare in Pakistan for a three-star former general to be arrested in a sedition case. The PMLN government in 2016 tried to prosecute Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf but failed to do so and he left the country.

Gen (ret) Shoaib was arrested for ‘inciting’ government employees to stop work and thus paralyze the government’s functioning. He was speaking on Bol TV show ‘Imran Khan Bol Kay Saath’ with anchor Imran Riaz Khan.

The FIR registered by a magistrate at Ramna Police Station also accused him of inciting the general public against the government.

On Wednesday, a photograph showing the former general behind the bars in the police lockup went viral. It led to a social media backlash.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan shared the photograph on Thursday morning saying the government had jailed “a respected, patriotic Pakistani” in a desperate attempt to “cling to power & muzzle all dissenting voices.”

Another photo on Thursday morning showed Gen (retd) Shoaib with his lawyer as the two smiled. This was shortly before the court released the order that it had reserved earlier in the day.

The former general was produced before the court on Thursday at the end of his police remand. The court heard the argument and reserved the judgment.

It later summoned Gen (retd) again, announced the judgment, and ordered his immediate release.

FIA plans another case

On the same day that the IHC dismissed sedition charges against the retired general, the Federal Investigation Agency has planned to file another case against him.

The new case will accuse the General (r) Shoaib of making false claims that PM Shehbaz Sharif met Isreali PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

Sources said that he has already appeared infront of the investigation agency thrice but has failed to convince them about his innocence.