Supreme Court suspends punishments

Islamabad: The newly reconstituted Supreme Court yesterday suspended conviction and punishments handed down to seven police and administration officials before the imposition of emergency on charges of manhandling former chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

A 10-member bench headed by new Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, which is hearing intra-court appeals by the officers, said their convictions would remain suspended until a final judgment by the court on their appeals.

The bench also ordered that no action would be taken against the officers and their services would not be adversely affected in any way.

Islamabad's former inspector general of police Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmad and senior superintendent police Zafar Iqbal were sentenced to 15-day imprisonments while three junior police officers were awarded one-month jail terms.