Daily Times

Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Naqvi of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday dismissed as withdrawn a habeas corpus petition challenging the alleged detention of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Maulana Khadim Hussain Rizvi, his son Saad Rizvi and TLP patron-in-chief Pir Afzal Qadri.

During the preliminary hearing, a provincial law officer submitted a notification issued under section 3 of Maintenance of Public Order ordinance 1960 for a 30-day detention of TLP leaders.

The court dismissed the petition by observing that the habeas corpus petition stood infructuous in the presence of the government’s notification.

At this, the petitioner’s counsel sought permission to withdraw the petition, which was duly granted.

In the plea, it was stated that police had trespassed into the house of Khadim Rizvi and arrested him along with other TLP leaders. The petition further stated that all the detainees were shifted to undisclosed places, adding that that the Home Department and police, despite repeated requests, had not issued any grounds for detention and were also not disclosing about their whereabouts.

It added that no case or complaint was lodged against the TLP leaders so far. “They all detained without any prior notification and without giving any opportunity of hearing, which was a violation of fundamental rights guaranteed in constitution,” the petition added.

Published in Daily Times, November 29^th 2018.