The president of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, has been re-arrested by the Islamabad police, just hours after the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered his release. The former Punjab chief minister was taken into custody under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) on the orders of the district magistrate.
Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) allows the government to arrest and detain individuals suspected of acting in a manner prejudicial to public safety or the maintenance of public order. The government can extend the period of detention for up to six months at a time.
Parvez Elahi is one of several PTI leaders who have been booked under the MPO following the state’s crackdown on the party after the May 9 riots. The arrest came shortly after the LHC ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to release Elahi and prohibited authorities from arresting him in any case.
Earlier, Elahi’s son, Moonis Elahi, claimed that his father was abducted from outside their Lahore residence. He stated that the police, including court security, were taking his father home after the high court’s orders when the car was stopped and Elahi was abducted.
A video shared by Moonis showed men in plain clothes and uniformed Punjab policemen forcefully removing Parvez Elahi from his vehicle. Lawyer Latif Khosa can also be seen in the clip, being pulled out of the vehicle to allow the men to reach the PTI president.
In the morning hearing at the LHC, Justice Amjad Rafiq questioned why Elahi was not presented in court. The NAB prosecutor stated that the accountability watchdog was prepared to bring Elahi to court but received a letter from the Punjab government regarding threats to his life. The prosecutor added that the NAB was ready to present Elahi without security, but raised concerns about possible risks.
The court ordered the NAB to present Parvez Elahi within an hour or issue arrest warrants for the Punjab Deputy Inspector General (DIG). Elahi was presented in court, and Justice Rafiq ordered his release, barring authorities from arresting him in any other case. In a written order, the court found Elahi’s custody in the NAB to be unlawful and stated that he should not be detained under any preventive detention laws.
After his release, Parvez Elahi attributed the country’s current economic state to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and accused them of fleeing the country after ruining the economy.
This is a developing story; updates will be provided as the situation unfolds.