ISLAMABAD: Pervez Elahi, the President of the PTI, was promptly re-arrested immediately after his release.
He was apprehended at the main entrance of the Police Lines and taken into custody by ATS (Anti-Terrorism Squad) and plainclothes officers. This arrest came shortly after the Islamabad High Court had issued an order for his release earlier today.
Earlier, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday directed the Islamabad chief commissioner and inspector general of police to produce former Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi in the court on September 6, Bol News reported.
The court expressed its displeasure for not producing Parvez Elahi, hence it ordered the chief commissioner and IGP too to appear before the court in person. “If Pervaiz Elahi is not produced, the same petition will be converted into a contempt of court petition. There is a court order, it will not be allowed to fly away,” the court said.
The public advocate said the court should reconsider its decision. The court replied if there was an appeal against the court order, it should be challenged.
“The court is not giving any new order, it wants the implementation of the first order,” it said.
Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended the detention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Parvez Elahi under 3-MPO (Maintenance of Public Order) and ordered the Islamabad police to release him.
Elahi, the former Punjab chief minister, was rearrested under 3-MPO by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police shortly after being released by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on the Lahore High Court (LHC) on September 1.
The PTI president had filed a petition in the IHC against his arrest by Islamabad police under 3-MPO.
IHC Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri heard the plea that sought the declaration of Elahi’s detention under the 3-MPO order “null and void”.
The 3-MPO order was issued by the district magistrate of Islamabad.
The Elahi’s lawyer, during his arguments, said his client has been in jail for three months and questioned how he could possibly create a law and situation in custody.
He also read out the 3-MPO order in the court and shared that his client has not issued any statement in the last four months.
The counsel said that Elahi has no case registered against him in Islamabad and he was discharged from the anti-corruption case.
He added that the senior politician’s arrest in the corruption case by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was also declared illegal by the Lahore High Court.
Meanwhile, the court inquired if Elahi was involved in riots or held rallies in Islamabad, to which his lawyer replied in negative.
He also informed the court about the contempt of court proceedings against Islamabad district commissioner for passing a similar order against PTI leader and former minister Shehryar Afridi.
Justice Jahangiri maintained that the politician has been detained for more than three months. Subsequently, the judge issued a notice to Islamabad DC, summoning him to the court on the next hearing.
The IHC also directed Elahi to avoid giving any statement until the next hearing.
