PTI President Pervaiz Elahi was re-arrested by the Rawalpindi police on Sunday after a Lahore anti-corruption court discharged him in a graft case pertaining to the Lahore Master Plan 2050.

He was produced before a judicial magistrate in Lahore on Sunday after the completion of one-day transit remand. Strict security arrangements were made for Elahi’s hearing, with 500 officials on duty. The complex was sealed by the security team.

On Saturday, he was arrested by the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment in Rawalpindi.

Pervaiz has been re-arrested several times in the past moments after getting relief from the court. He is among several PTI leaders and workers who have been arrested after a crackdown on the arsonists who vandalized state buildings in the country after PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s first arrest on May 9.

The entire judicial complex was sealed and media and other unconcerned persons were not allowed inside.

The PTI claimed that Pervaiz was re-arrested for not addressing a “press conference” like other former party leaders who after their release spoke to the media and quit the Imran Khan-led party. The post was re-posted by Pervaiz’s son Moonis Elahi on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Judicial magistrate Rehanul Hasan rejected a request of the ACE, seeking the physical remand of Pervaiz.

Pervaiz’s lawyer Rana Intizar contended in the court that his client’s arrest was “malicious”. He demanded that the court should discharge the case as neither any inquiry was conducted nor any inquiry notice was sent to him.

The court reserved its decision on the ACE’s request and later dismissed Pervaiz, discharging him in the case. But the Rawalpindi police were waiting outside and re-arrested him. They took him away from Lahore.

Lawyer Rana Intizar told reporters that the court had released the PTI president in the anti-corruption case, but the Rawalpindi police arrested him in a terrorism case and took him to the Adiala Jail.

The written order of the court’s decision was yet to be issued.

Elahi was charged under sections 109 (punishment of abetment if the Act abetted committed in consequence and where no express provision is made for its punishment), 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the Pakistan Penal Code as well as Section 5 (criminal misconduct) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947 in the case.

It was registered on July 19 at the Lahore ACE police station on the complaint of Lahore ACE officer Tariq Mehmood.

This is Pervaiz’s 13th arrest in the last three months.