IHC orders release of PTI’s Asad Umar

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday ordered the immediate release of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Asad Umar, ARY News reported.

Justice Miangul Aurangzeb presided over the hearing and declared his arrest “unlawful” under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO).

Umar was taken into custody from the IHC premises under the MPO on May 10, a day after protests broke out across the country against PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest.

During today’s hearing, Justice Miangul Aurangzeb remarked that “they will not let you go until you hold a press conference”.

“Asad Umar’s cases are in front of me. If I issue an order today, I don’t know what will happen tomorrow,” Justice Aurangzeb said.

The court then directed Umar to submit an affidavit and to delete his incendiary tweets.

Qureshi put under house arrest

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Jamshed Cheema and his wife Musarrat Cheema have been put under house arrest for 15 days under Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) section 3.

Read more: Shah Mahmood, Musarrat Cheema re-arrested outside Adiala jail

The orders for the PTI leaders’ house arrest were issued by the Rawalpindi commissioner.

The former foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Musarrat Cheema and Jamshed Cheema have been placed under house arrest for 15 days.

It may be noted that Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Musarrat Jamshed Cheema had been re-arrested Tuesday from outside Adiala Jail after the IHC had ordered their release.