ISLAMABAD: Liberty eluded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Parvez Elahi once again on Tuesday as the former Punjab chief minister was taken into custody by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) shortly after being released by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police in compliance with the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) order, according to well-placed sources.
Earlier today, the IHC suspended the detention of Elahi under 3-MPO (Maintenance of Public Order) and ordered the Islamabad police to release him.
The seasoned politician was rearrested under 3-MPO by the ICT police shortly after being released by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) directives on September 1.
The sources privy to the matter said that the PTI president was rearrested by the personnel of the anti-terrorism division of the Islamabad police in a case relating to an attack on the Judicial Complex in the federal capital on March 18.
Following the attack, an FIR was registered at the CTD police station on the behalf of station police officer (SHO) of Ramna police station in this regard. The case was filed under 11 charges, including terrorism, the sources added.
A spokesperson of the Islamabad police said that the former provincial chief executive was taken into custody in a CTD case number 3/23. “He [Elahi] has been arrested in the category of unknown people.”
Earlier, the PTI leader was released in compliance with the orders of the IHC, the spokesperson added.
He will be produced before an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad on Wednesday (tomorrow), the sources added.
Attack on Federal Judicial Complex
On March 18, charged PTI workers broke the security barrier of the Federal Judicial Complex to enter its premises in a show of solidarity with the party’s Chairman Imran Khan when he reached there in a case relating to Toshakhana gifts.
Ahead of Khan’s arrival at Islamabad’s Judicial Complex, the area was put on high security to ensure law and order and avoid any untoward situation. The situation worsened when the PTI workers suddenly began pelting stones at the authorities inside the premises of the complex, resulting in teargas being spread to the courtroom where the hearing was to be conducted.
The former ruling party’s workers also heavily damaged three police mobiles and used slingshots to hit law enforcers with stones, which forced police to fire teargas at them.
Due to the violence that erupted inside the complex, the judge allowed the former prime minister to mark his attendance from his car and exempted him from attending the hearing in the courtroom.
While PTI workers clashed with police and caused damage to public property.
The very next day, a terrorism case had been registered against PTI workers at the CTD police station for vandalism at the capital’s judicial complex during Imran Khan’s appearance at the court in the Toshakhana case.
The case was registered under various sections of 10 crimes including terrorism against arrested the PTI workers and wanted party leaders.
About 17 leaders including Ali Amin Gandapur, Murad Saeed, Aamir Mehmood Kiani, Asad Qaiser, Shibli Faraz, Asad Umar, Omar Ayub Khan, Ali Nawaz Awan, Hassaan Niazi were named in the first information report (FIR).
“About two police vehicles and seven motorcycles were burned, and the official vehicle of the station house officer (SHO) was damaged,” it added.
IHC orders to release Elahi
Earlier today, the IHC suspended Elahi’s detention under 3-MPO and ordered the Islamabad police to release him.
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 seeking the court’s order to declare Elahi’s detention “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 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.
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.
Elahi was initially arrested on June 1 from outside his residence in a Rs70 million graft case related to the embezzlement of development funds allocated for the Gujrat district.
Since then, the PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s aide has been behind bars on various charges. During a span of around two and half months, the PTI leader was released multiple times on the courts’ orders but was rearrested immediately every time.
He was taken into custody during a crackdown launched against the party’s leadership following the May 9 riots.
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