PTI President Pervaiz Elahi was re-arrested on Tuesday hours after the Islamabad High Court issued orders for his release and suspended his detention under 3MPO.
He was arrested from the central gate of the Elite Line area by the officers of Counter Terrorism Department, the Islamabad police said in a post on X. But the police did not mention the details of the case. The former chief minister of Punjab was released from the Police Lines.
Pervaiz was seen leaving for home in advocate Sardar Abdur Raziq’s vehicle after his release.
The PTI shared the video of the arrest, which it described as “abduction”. The clip showed officers arguing apparently with Pervaiz’s lawyer.
“Another abduction of Parvez Elahi, former Speaker and CM Punjab. Pakistan has descended into a complete lawless country, as not even Courts order are being respected!” said the former ruling party.
“We have always seen that executive take every step to enforce court orders so that its integrity remains intact. But very unfortunately if the executive becomes a hurdle in [the implementation] of court orders and considers it as a piece of paper then it is akin to a slap on the face of the judicial system,” said Barrister Waqas Abraiz.
He wondered why the court orders were violated and described the statement of Punjab IG on Pervaiz’s re-arrest as “ridiculous”.
When asked, the lawyer said: “Our country is showing a true representation of a Banana republic.” He was of the view that the ranking of the court would further go down if court orders were violated.
He added that the court can begin contemptuous proceedings against a person who violates court orders under Article 204 of the Constitution.
Earlier in the day, IHC Judge Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri set aside his arrest under Section 3 of the Maintainance of Public Order.
When proceedings began on Tuesday, Elahi’s lawyer was asked to read out the arrest order under MPO. He argued that the former CM could not have created a threat to public law and order since he had been incarcerated for the last three months.
The lawyer added that Elahi had not even issued a single statement in the last three months, let alone address a rally in Islamabad.
When the judge asked when Elahi had first been arrested, his lawyer replied he had been in jail since June 1.
Elahi had been released from the custody of the National Accountability Bureau by the Lahore High Court on Friday after spending three months in jail. However, plain clothed men had dragged him off in an unregistered vehicle from outside the court.
It was later revealed that Islamabad police had taken him into custody under the MPO.
The arrest came desptie the fact that the LHC had ordered that Elahi should not be arrested in any other case either.
A contempt case against the arrest had also been filed, with the LHC ordering on Monday that Elahi should be produced before the court.
