Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Parvez Elahi was released from Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail on Tuesday night, ending months of incarceration related to various corruption charges.
The former Punjab chief minister’s release was brought about by the Lahore High Court (LHC) approving his bail in the Punjab Assembly illegal recruitment case. Under the case, Elahi allegedly facilitated 12 illegal recruitments in the Punjab Assembly on grade-17 positions.
After his release, Elahi reached his residence in Lahore, with the PTI confirming the development in a posting on social media.
Elahi was initially arrested in a corruption case from outside his Lahore residence on June 1, 2023. Since then, he has been granted bail several times, but has been repeatedly placed under arrest against on various charges. During his incarceration, he suffered various health scares and was briefly hospitalized, resulting in the Islamabad High Court ordering the Interior Ministry to complete the procedure of placing him under house arrest within 15 days.
In a statement, Elahi thanked Allah for his release, adding he also thanked judges who had “supported the truth and got me released.” Lamenting that the people of Gujrat—his home constituency—had “suffered a lot of abuse and cruelty,” he reiterated allegations of the PTI’s mandate being “stolen” in the region. “We will not talk to [Chaudhry] Shujaat sahib’s children until our mandate is given back to us,” he said and accused Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi of the trials he had suffered while incarcerated.
He also reaffirmed his decision to “stand with” PTI founder Imran Khan.