PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi shared his thoughts with the media on Tuesday almost after a month when he was released from Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail. But the senior politician refused to take questions and said that he will talk to reporters in detail after meeting party chief Imran Khan.
“I will present my analysis of the political situation with the party chief tomorrow (Wednesday) and seek guidance from him,” said PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Earlier in the day, the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court issued an order for his “immediate release”. Qureshi was arrested last month by the Islamabad police on multiple charges, including “inciting violent protests” after PTI chief Khan was arrested in the Al-Qadir Trust case on May 9.
“The flag of justice is in my favour and I am a part of a movement that is independent,” he said, “I have spent a month in solitary confinement and got time to reflect and think on a lot of things … tomorrow I will meet Imran Khan and present him my political analysis and seek guidance.”
Qureshi thanked God, his family, the PTI, and his legal team for working day and night for his release.
“I was re-arrested under the MPO […] I don’t think there was ground for the arrest because how can a prisoner in jail indulge in public disorder? Who can I contact, instruct or incite?”
He was of the view that it was a “testing and difficult time” for party supporters and advised them to not lose hope because “after every night there is a dawn”.
“I think in different jails there are countless innocent people who should be released. I will try, and we will pursue their cases after consultation with our legal team,” Qureshi added.
On Tuesday, the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court issued an order for his “immediate release”.
Justice Ali Baqar Najafi heard the petition filed by Meher Bano Qureshi, the daughter of Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who sought relief for her father in the ongoing cases against him.
She requested the court to prohibit the police from arresting him in any future cases.
During the hearing on Tuesday, Qureshi’s lawyer, Taimoor Malik, and Meher Bano Qureshi appeared before the court on behalf of Qureshi while Assistant Advocate General Abid Aziz Rajouri represented the government in the proceedings.
The court has nullified three Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) orders issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Rawalpindi.
Moreover, the court did not instruct Qureshi to provide any surety bond.
The court also remarked that he should not be arrested under any other MPO orders.
PTI leader Qureshi was re-arrested from outside Adiala Jail immediately after his release on May 23.
He was detained under the Maintainance of Public Order on May 11, two days after protests broke out after Imran Khan was arrested by Rangers in Islamabad. Speculation had intensified that he was being pressured into leaving the party after Shireen Mazari announced her resignation.
