An anti-corruption court in Lahore has discharged PTI President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi in a graft case related to the Lahore Master Plan 2050. The court rejected the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment’s (ACE) request for Elahi’s physical remand, according to his lawyer, Rana Intezar Hussain. The written order for the court’s decision is yet to be issued. It is uncertain whether Elahi will be released following the court ruling, given previous instances where he was re-arrested shortly after being granted bail or discharged in a case.
Elahi is one of several PTI leaders and workers who have been arrested as part of a crackdown by the state on PTI leadership following violent riots in the country. Elahi was arrested for the twelfth time on June 1 and presented in court today following his arrest in Rawalpindi.
In this case, Elahi faces charges under several sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, including abetment, criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, and using forged documents. The FIR alleges that Elahi misused his authority as the chief minister and colluded with a director from the Lahore Development Authority to illegally alter the draft of the Lahore Master Plan 2050 and benefit his sons financially.
Elahi had been taken into custody from Adiala Jail, where he was detained in a riots case. After his arrest, he was taken to an Islamabad court, which granted the ACE a one-day transit remand to produce Elahi in the relevant anti-corruption court in Lahore.
Following Elahi’s arrest on June 1, he was discharged by a Lahore court in the case but was re-arrested by the ACE in a case registered in the Gujranwala region. This pattern of being discharged and re-arrested continued in subsequent corruption cases.
Elahi’s lawyer has stated that the court orders for his release have not been delivered to the prison administration, preventing his release from jail. Elahi has faced multiple arrests and detention orders in various cases including illegal appointments, money laundering, attacking a police team, and involvement in embezzlement in development projects.
In the latest development, the Lahore anti-terrorism court granted Elahi bail in the riots case on September 15, but he was re-arrested by the ACE a day later in connection with the Lahore Master Plan 2050 case.
Elahi’s lawyer has confirmed that his release has not yet been processed due to outstanding surety bonds for bail.