Daily Times

Punjab police on Monday arrested Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader and former human rights minister Dr Shireen Mazari once again, moments after she was released from Adiala Jail on orders of the Lahore High Court (LHC).

This incident marks the fourth time in 10 days that Mazari has been taken into custody by Punjab police, and the second time that she has been apprehended immediately after being released from jail, courtesy of a court order.

Expressing his bewilderment at the arrest, Barrister Ahsan J Pirzada revealed that the PTI leader’s current whereabouts are unknown to her family.

“72 year old Dr. Shireen Mazari arrested by Punjab Police for the fourth time in 10 days. We have no idea where they have taken her. This is the second time she has been arrested from outside Adiala Jail as soon as the court ordered her release,” the lawyer said in a tweet reshared by Mazari’s daughter, Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir.

Earlier on Monday, the Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) issued an order to release the former human rights minister.

Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz presided over the hearing of the petition filed against the detention of the former minister where Mazari’s lawyers Barrister Shoaib Razak and Aneeq Khatana appeared in court, while her daughter Imaan Mazari was also present.

The court had ordered not to rearrest Mazari if she is not named in any case and directed the senior politician to submit an affidavit to the deputy commissioner, stating that she will not be involved in any such activity in the future.

Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday handed over PTI leader Dr Yasmin Rashid to police on three-day physical remand in a case lodged under the Anti-Terrorism Act for allegedly carrying out an attack on the Jinnah House (the corps commander’s house) Lahore, during May 9 riots.

Earlier, Dr Yasmin was produced before ATC Judge Abher Gul Khan at the start of the proceedings.

AMS Services Hospital Lahore Dr Ehtasham submitted a report and apprised the court that the PTI leader had been discharged from the hospital on improving his blood pressure issue.

At this stage, the investigation officer requested the court to grant physical remand of the PTI leader for investigation. He submitted that her physical custody was required for photo grammatic test and voice matching test. However, Dr Yasmin Rashid’s counsel opposed the remand plea on medical grounds.

The court, after hearing arguments of the parties, handed over Dr Yasmin Rashid to police on three-day physical remand and ordered for producing her on expiry of the remand term on May 25.

The Sarwar Road police had registered a case against the PTI leaders and workers for carrying out an attack on the Jinnah House Lahore.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) served notices to the capital’s police in a petition regarding the custody of PTI’s leaders Ali Muhammad Khan and Maleeka Bokhari.

Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the case against the alleged arrest of the two leaders. The representative of Islamabad Police expressed ignorance over the custody of Maleeka Bokhari and Ali Muhammad Khan. Meanwhile, a local court granted interim bail to PTI leaders Asad Qaiser and Malik Anwar Taj in a case pertaining to protests after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.