LAHORE: In the case of alleged illegal appointments in the Punjab Assembly, the Magistrate Court of Lahore rejected the request of the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) for the physical remand of PTI President Pervez Elahi. The court sent Elahi to jail on 14-day judicial remand. ACE produced Parvez Elahi in the court of Judicial Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Vark. As the hearing began, ACE director Jam Salahuddin expressed a lack of confidence in the magistrate, saying he had been instructed not to produce accused Elahi in his court. During the hearing, the judge remarked that he had no social media account and that a malicious campaign had been launched against him. He said that he will decide the case on merit as per the file and if the prosecution does not like the decision, it can challenge it. ACE’s counsel told the court that it is on record that the poor candidate who secured 60 marks was rejected while the one who secured eight marks was selected. Elahi’s lawyer, Advocate Rana Intizar, alleged that a caretaker minister was harassing the lawyers and that even a copy of the FIR was not provided to them.
The lawyer argued that his client was not charged with anything other than tampering with the test results. The lawyer argued that the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly has the right to appoint anyone. The lawyer argued that the candidates had participated in the examination after which their results were sent to the Secretary Punjab Assembly, interviews were conducted on the basis of merit and joining letters were issued to those who passed. He said that no evidence was presented, his client was convicted. He requested the court to acquit his client of the charges. Punjab Assembly Secretary Roy Mumtaz, arrested in this case, while recording his statement in the court, said that at the time of the alleged illegal appointments, he was the Coordination Secretary in the Punjab Assembly. He said that last night while he was walking, he was picked up and blindfolded. Roy added that he was taken to the DGACE who forced him to become a witness and the testimony was forcibly recorded. After hearing the arguments of the parties, the court sent Elahi to jail on judicial remand. Parvez Elahi while talking to the media said that he knows better who is behind the cases against him, the police has nothing to do with it. “For the first time I am giving a message to the people who are actually doing all this,” he said, adding that the army is a big institution and is ours and we are not against it. He pleaded: “Sit with us and tell us the way forward for the interest of the country. I will make the PTI chief correct his mistakes. He said he was ready to face 100 cases and asked the PTI workers to remain steadfast. According to ACE, the case of illegal appointments shows that Elahi recruited 12 Grade 17 officers in the Punjab Assembly against merit. ACE alleged that the results of these candidates belonging to Gujarat and Mandi Bahauddin were changed by Elahi.
