LHC orders immediate release of Haleem Adil Sheikh

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday ordered the immediate release of Opposition Leader in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh by terming his brief detention illegal, ARY News reported.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader (PTI) was taken into custody by police personnel in plain clothes and taken to an unknown location.

Earlier in the day, the LHC had reserved a verdict in the case. The LHC bench declaring the arrest illegal granted protective bail to Haleem Adil Sheikh till July 18 and directed him to face the case in Sindh province.

The court said the prosecution failed to produce any evidence to prove the arrest of Haleem Adil Sheikh legal.

Earlier in the hearing, the LHC directed the Inspector General Police (IGP) Punjab and the provincial government to submit a comprehensive report on the detention of Opposition Leader in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh.

Subsequently, Haleem’s personnel secretary filed a petition in the LHC through advocate Amir Saeed Rawn and made the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab, the provincial government and other respondents.

The petition maintained that no information was provided by the police regarding why and under what charges Haleem was taken into custody and that the opposition leader had not been brought before any court of law.

He beseeched the court to direct the IGP to produce the PTI leader before the court after retrieving him from police custody.