The detention order issued for PTI President Parvez Elahi under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance has been withdrawn, the capital deputy commissioner (DC) told the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday.
The development comes a day after the Lahore High Court (LHC) issued a bailable arrest warrant for Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Akbar Nisar Khan over his failure to appear before the court in a contempt case related to Elahi’s arrest.
On September 1, hours after the LHC had ordered his release in a graft case, the PTI leader had been rearrested by the Islamabad police under the MPO.
Having approached the IHC, the court had suspended Elahi’s MPO detention and ordered his release but hours later, he was again re-arrested in a terror case.
The former Punjab chief minister is currently on a judicial remand in that case, which will be completed on September 22.
Today, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri presided over the hearing of Elahi’s petition against his MPO detention while Islamabad DC Irfan Nawaz Memon appeared before the court.
Both DC Memon and Elahi had been ordered at the previous hearing to appear before the court today. However, Elahi could not appear before the court as he is currently incarcerated at Adiala Jail in the terror case.
At the outset of the hearing, DC Memon informed the court that the detention order against Elahi had been withdrawn, at which the IHC disposed of the PTI leader’s petition.
The IHC then directed the DC to inform the court about the FIR on the basis of which Elahi was currently in custody.
During the previous hearing, Justice Jahangiri had noted that Elahi had been detained for more than three months.
In the order, the judge had said that it had been established that the detention order had been passed without any lawful authority and was prima facie in violation of the directives issued by the LHC.
It said that the order was suspended and Elahi was ordered to be released “forthwith” if he was not required in any other case.
“The petitioner is directed to ensure that after being released from jail, he will not participate in any unlawful activity nor contribute to any activity harmful for public safety and tranquillity in society,” the order had said.
