LHC bars police from arresting Pervaiz Elahi

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday barred the police from arresting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi ‘in any case registered till date’, ARY News reported.

LHC’s Justice Safdar Saleem Shahid heard the petition against the ‘police and Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) actions’ against the former Punjab chief minister (CM).

Pervaiz Elahi’s lawyer appeared before Justice Safdar Saleem Shahid, who was hearing the petition in chamber.

Hearing the arguments, the Lahore High Court barred police from arrested the PTI president and issued notices to Punjab government and other respondents, seeking their responses.

“Police should not arrest the applicant in cases registered till date, wherein the bail has not been granted yet,” the judge ordered.

The court also sought details of the cases registered against the former Punjab CM and adjourned hearing till tomorrow.

Earlier in the day, the Lahore High Court (LHC) approved protective bail of the PTI president Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi in terrorism case.

Elahi appeared before LHC Justice Ali Baqar Najafi’s court for protective bail. PTI president’s counsel pleaded with the court to grant seven-day protective bail, but the LHC denied and granted bail of only two days.

He was directed to appear before the concerned court in the terrorism case within two days. Elahi was booked under terrorism charges at Ghalib Market police station, Lahore.

ACE, police raid

On April 28, the anti-corruption establishment (ACE) team along with police contingents raided former Punjab Chief Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Pervaiz Elahi’s house in Lahore.

It was learnt that 25 persons including a woman were arrested by ACE during the raid. However, Pervaiz Elahi was not arrested in the raid.

The eight-hour-long police action came to a halt after the Director General of Punjab’s Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), Sohail Zafar Chattha, left the scene along with the police contingent.

The police entered the house after jumping from the wall and an armoured personnel carrier (APC) of police broke the main gate of the residence.