Elahi gets to go home

LAHORE: Lahore High Court on Friday has ordered immediate release of former chief minister Punjab and PTI leader Pervez Elahi.

A single-member bench, led by Justice Amjad Rafiq, resumed hearing Elahi’s petition against his “illegal” arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), despite a court order.

The Court further ordered that Pervez Elahi not to be arrested in any other case and that he be released immediately

NAB had once again incurred the displeasure of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday by not presenting PTI President Parvez Elahi in court, citing security reasons.

The court characterized the repeated arrests of Elahi as a “drama” on Wednesday and summoned the NAB Lahore director-general to explain why the anti-corruption body apprehended the former Punjab chief minister in an undisclosed inquiry. It also instructed NAB to present the politician in court.

However, NAB failed to comply with the court order on Thursday.

The law officer representing the provincial government informed the court that Elahi’s life was in danger, preventing his production in court.

The judge asked the lawyer how long NAB intended to keep the PTI leader in custody due to these life threats. He rejected the argument, stating that if Elahi could be presented in an accountability court, he could also be presented in the LHC.

NAB’s prosecutor general also raised an objection to the proceedings being conducted by a single-member bench, arguing that NAB cases could only be heard by a division bench.

The court instructed the NAB prosecutor to obtain instructions from NAB authorities regarding whether they planned to present the PTI leader in court or not, and adjourned for a brief period.