ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Thursday declared the arrest of Shah Mahmood Qureshi under the notorious Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law illegal and ordered the police to release the deputy chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).
Qureshi was arrested and taken to an undisclosed location in the small hours of Thursday apparently by Islamabad police who accused him of “inciting violent protests” following party chairman Imran Khan’s arrest in the land dispute.
The decision to release Qureshi came during a hearing of a petition moved by the former foreign minister to challenge his arrest.
Presiding over the case, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb inquired about any registered case against him, to which the counsel for the government responded that he would need to look into it.
The judge, determined not to “go out of the box,” issued the order for his release after the completion of arguments from both sides.
Furthermore, Justice Aurangzeb declared the MPO order, under which Qureshi was arrested, null and void and ordered his immediate release.
The court further instructed Qureshi to provide a written undertaking similar to the one given by former minister Ali Muhammad Khan. The legal team for Qureshi informed the court they would submit the required undertaking after consulting with their client.
Separately, the high court also ordered the release of Rabia Afridi, the wife of Qureshi’s colleague Shehryar Khan Afridi, who along with her husband was taken into custody from their bedroom.
During the hearing, the head of Islamabad police, Akbar Nasir Khan, informed the court that Afridi and her husband were “involved” in the attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.
Responding to this revelation, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, who chaired the proceedings, reprimanded the official and directed him to take appropriate action after seeking advice from his legal team.
Furthermore, the deputy commissioner of Islamabad was summoned to appear before the court. The deputy commissioner informed the judge that the arrest of Afridi and his wife was made based on information provided by the so-called special branch of the police.
