The Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruled on Thursday that the arrest of Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the Vice Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law, was unlawful. Consequently, it ordered his immediate release. Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb of IHC gave this directive while examining a petition contesting Qureshi’s arrest.
The court stipulated that Qureshi must submit a commitment analogous to the one submitted by Ali Muhammad Khan, a former state minister, as a condition for his release. Qureshi’s legal representatives assured the court they would submit the commitment after conferring with the PTI leader.
Qureshi was among several senior PTI leaders arrested in Islamabad following an eruption of violent protests by PTI activists in response to the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan. These arrests were part of the government’s clampdown on the party.
Qureshi’s arrest occurred early on May 11, when the police invaded the Gilgit-Baltistan House in Islamabad, acting under Section 3 (3MPO). According to the police, the former foreign minister was implicated in instances of riots and arsons in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Before his arrest, Qureshi encouraged PTI activists to persist in their fight for genuine liberty in the country. He stated that throughout his 40-year political career, he defended the country’s interests while serving as Pakistan’s foreign minister. Qureshi expressed no remorse, asserting that he had not made any inflammatory statements that could lead to litigation, and expressed confidence in the eventual success of PTI’s mission.
The IHC also directed the release of the wife of PTI leader Shehryar Afridi, who had been arrested under the same MPO law. During a court session, she was presented to Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir. As informed by the Islamabad Inspector General, the court heard that both Afridi and his wife were implicated in an attack on the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. However, the judge reprimanded the Islamabad police chief and advised him to consult his legal team before acting.
The Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad also appeared in court and informed the judge that Afridi and his wife were detained based on information from the Special Branch.
Despite the ongoing crackdown on PTI leaders, the pace of arrests and re-arrests is not slowing down, even when leaders have secured bail from high courts. Imran Khan, the party chief, recently condemned PTI workers and leaders’ persistent “detentions and abductions” as utterly illegal, expressing his views in a strongly-worded tweet.
 has declared the arrest of PTI Vice Chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, illegal, calling for his immediate release. The court's decision marks a significant event amidst the ongoing crackdown on PTI leaders.){kind=link}