ISLAMABAD: Declaring Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s arrest under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) as “illegal”, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed the authorities to charge Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s Vice Ordered to release the chairman.
IHC Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb issued these directions after hearing the arguments of both the defense and the plaintiff on the petition challenging Qureshi’s arrest.
The court further directed the PTI leader to submit an affidavit similar to the one given by former state minister Ali Muhammad Khan – who was re-arrested last night despite being granted bail by the IHC.
Qureshi’s lawyers told the court that they would submit the affidavit after consulting the PTI leader.
The former foreign minister was among the top PTI leaders who were arrested in Islamabad within 24 hours of the May 9 nationwide protests against the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.
Qureshi was arrested on the morning of May 11 by police under Section 3 MPO after raiding Gilgit-Baltistan House in Islamabad.
The police had said at the time that he was arrested by the police in connection with riots and arson incidents in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
However, before his arrest, the PTI leader encouraged party workers to continue their struggle for real freedom in the country.
“As Pakistan’s foreign minister, I defended Pakistan’s interests at every forum. I have been in practical politics for 40 years,” he said.
Qureshi added that he has no remorse and has not made any inflammatory statement that could lead to prosecution. He was confident that the PTI movement would reach its destination.
IHC also directs police to release Shahryar Afridi’s wife
The IHC has also ordered the release of PTI leader Shehryar Afridi’s wife, who was also arrested under the MPO.
During the hearing today, Afridi’s wife was presented in the court of Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir. During the hearing, IG Islamabad told the court that the accused and her husband were involved in the attack on the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
Meanwhile, the judge admonished the Islamabad police chief and asked him to consult his legal team and take action.
The Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad was also summoned to the court and told the judge that Afridi and his wife were arrested on a tip-off received from the Special Branch.
The crackdown on PTI leaders continues to see no let-up as concerned authorities and the police continue to arrest and re-arrest party leaders despite obtaining bail from high courts.
A day earlier, party chief Khan had also strongly condemned the “arrests and abductions” of party workers and leaders in a tweet, calling them “completely illegal”.
