The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday issued orders for the release of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi after declaring his arrest under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) illegal.
Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb—who has thus far heard and ordered the release of nearly every PTI leader detained over the past week—ruled that Qureshi’s arrest orders were null and void and instructed the authorities concerned to ensure his release after securing an undertaking.
“Have a look at the undertaking submitted by [PTI leader] Ali Muhammad Khan yesterday,” he advised Qureshi’s counsel. “You may submit one like that as well,” he remarked, with the lawyer saying he would consult with his client before doing so.
Also on Thursday, the IHC issued release orders for the wife of PTI leader Shehrayar Afridi, Rabia Shehrayar, who had been taken into custody under Section 3 of the MPO. She was produced before the court of IHC Judge Arbab Muhammad Tahir by the Islamabad Inspector General of Police, who informed the court that she had been detained on reports that she and her husband had both been involved in the attack on General Headquarters, Rawalpindi.
To the judge remarking that she was a housewife, the IGP said police also respected women but had evidence of her involvement in subversive activities. “Housewives are even capable of murdering their husbands, they can be involved in matters beyond domestic issues as well,” he said. However, the court remained unconvinced and ordered her release upon the submission of an undertaking.
During proceedings, the judge also warned of “serious consequences” if an individual it had released were re-arrested. “The issue is that in the previous government, we saw the same thing,” he remarked.
Earlier, condemning the “abductions” of his party’s workers and leaders on Twitter, the PTI chief had specifically named Qureshi and Secretary General Asad Umar, noting they had been detained for over a week. He also demanded the “immediate release” of all women leaders and workers of the PTI and questioned the need to arrest Afridi’s wife.