The court orders the police to release the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf vice-chairman detained under MPO.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-May 19th, 2023) The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday ruled that the arrest of Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Vice Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law was "unlawful" and ordered his immediate release.
The decision was made by Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb of the IHC, who was presiding over a petition challenging Qureshi's arrest.
The court, in its release order, instructed the PTI leader to provide a written undertaking similar to the one given by former state minister Ali Muhammad Khan. Qureshi's legal team informed the court that they would submit the undertaking after consulting with their client, Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
On May 11, Qureshi, along with other senior PTI leaders, was apprehended in Islamabad following violent protests by PTI workers in response to the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The government had intensified its crackdown on the party, leading to the arrests. Qureshi was taken into custody during a police raid at Gilgit-Baltistan House in Islamabad, conducted under Section 3 (3MPO).
At the time of his arrest, Qureshi faced charges related to riots and arson incidents in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the police.
However, prior to his arrest, the PTI leader had encouraged party members to continue their struggle for "true freedom" in the country.
Qureshi expressed his defense of Pakistan's interests as the former Foreign Minister and stated that he had been actively involved in politics for four decades.
He maintained that he had not made any provocative statements that could result in legal action and expressed confidence that the PTI movement would achieve its objectives.
