Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz of LHC's Rawalpindi Bench orders that Qureshi should no longer be detained under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO).
RAWALPINDI: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-June 6th, 2023) The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday issued a ruling for the immediate release of Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the Vice Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who had been arrested in connection with the violent protests on May 9.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, a former foreign minister, has faced multiple arrests prior to this incident.
During the hearing of a petition challenging his arrest, Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz of LHC's Rawalpindi Bench ordered that Qureshi should no longer be detained under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO).
The court also declared the MPO orders issued by the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner as illegal and instructed the authorities to release the PTI vice chairman immediately, without requiring him to submit any surety bonds.
Representing the government's side, Assistant Attorney General Abid Aziz Rajouri was present, while lawyer Taimoor Malik and Qureshi's daughter attended on behalf of the PTI leader.
During the hearing, the court questioned the law officer regarding any speeches or protests led by Qureshi.
The court remarked that "No political leader can control his words in a political gathering," and instructed the law officer to present evidence if any against the former foreign minister.
In response, the official requested two days to submit the evidence, but the court directed him to update the court within an hour after receiving directives from the government.
Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing for an hour.
Meanwhile, the Punjab police submitted a report detailing the cases registered against Qureshi.
According to the report, a total of nine cases have been filed against Qureshi in various locations across Punjab. Among these, four cases were registered in Lahore, while the remaining five were registered at different police stations in Multan.
The report was submitted in response to a request made by the PTI leader's daughter.
It is worth mentioning that several senior PTI leaders were arrested following the protests that erupted after the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan on May 9 on corruption charges.
The clashes between PTI supporters and law enforcement agencies during the protests resulted in the death of at least eight people.
Besides Qureshi, other prominent PTI figures such as Asad Umar, Shireen Mazari, Fawad Chaudhry, and Yasmeen Rashid were also taken into custody.
However, some of these leaders, including Umar, Mazari, and Chaudhry, have been released. Furthermore, many of them have distanced themselves from the party and expressed their disapproval of the violent protests by resigning from their positions and severing ties with the former prime minister.
