In Lahore/Islamabad, the Anti-Terrorism Court has granted a one-day transit remand to Parvez Elahi at the request of Anti-Corruption Punjab.
According to Express News, the Anti-Corruption authorities presented their application in the Anti-Terrorism Court, where Parvez Elahi was also present. Parvez Elahi’s lawyer, Sardar Abdul Razaq, argued that his client is being accused of improperly appointing his own staff. He questioned whether the Chief Minister doesn’t have the authority to choose his Chief Secretary and pointed out that a case against Parvez Elahi was filed and dismissed the previous day.
Sardar Abdul Raziq, the lawyer, expressed concerns that Parvez Elahi has been facing political retaliation since January, where he gets arrested right after leaving the courtroom. He argued that appointing someone named Muhammad Khan as Chief Secretary does not exceed the Chief Minister’s authority.
Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain inquired about when the inquiry began, to which Sardar Abdul Raziq responded that the Director-General of Anti-Corruption is hastily building a case overnight. He mentioned that even the Lahore High Court had stated that Parvez Elahi should not be arrested as there was no case against him.
The judge requested information about any other pending cases against Parvez Elahi, to which the lawyer replied that they are not informed about cases until they are filed, and they’ve seen eleven such cases.
Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain expressed surprise and apologized, emphasizing that hate should be directed at crimes, not individuals. He instructed his staff to provide Parvez Elahi and his lawyers with refreshments and take care of his health. Subsequently, the judge reserved the decision regarding Parvez Elahi’s remand.
Ultimately, the court granted a one-day remand of Chaudhry Parvez Elahi to the anti-corruption authorities.
Before this, the Lahore High Court had issued a bailable arrest warrant for the Chief Commissioner of Islamabad and a non-bailable arrest warrant for the Inspector General of Islamabad for failing to produce Parvez Elahi in accordance with the court’s order.
Justice Mirza Waqas Rauf noted the absence of the IG Islamabad despite the bailable warrant and issued a contempt of court notice to the concerned SP for not executing the bailable arrest warrant.
The court also expressed dissatisfaction with the non-appearance of the Superintendent Jail Attock and issued a bailable arrest warrant for them.
However, when DPO Attock responded to the show cause notice, the court withdrew the notice issued against DPO Attock and CPO Rawalpindi, acknowledging their efforts.
In summary, the Anti-Terrorism Court granted a one-day transit remand for Parvez Elahi, while the Lahore High Court issued arrest warrants related to his non-appearance and expressed discontent with the authorities involved.