LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) directed the Punjab government Wednesday to present Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Fawad Chaudhry before it even if he was taken to Islamabad by the police.
Fawad was arrested from his residence earlier today after he publicly “threatened” the members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in a media talk outside Imran Khan’s residence in Zaman Park a day ago.
The LHC had ordered authorities to present Fawad before it in response to a petition filed by Fawad’s cousin, Nabeel Shehzad, for the “recovery” of the former federal minister.
The petitioner had filed a habeas corpus plea and urged the court to “recover” the PTI leader, after the Islamabad police acquired his transitory remand. He also appealed the court to stop any illegal action against the PTI leader.
Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh heard the plea and ordered the authorities to present the PTI leader before the court by 1:30pm. The time was later extended to 2:00pm, but the authorities failed to produce Fawad before LHC.
Interestingly, the orders were issued after a local court of Lahore had approved Fawad’s transitory remand in a sedition case filed against him in Islamabad on the Election Commission’s complaint.
At the resumption of the hearing at LHC, Fawad’s lawyer informed the court that the motorcade transporting Fawad has left for Islamabad.
The government’s lawyer said that he is unable to state Fawad’s exact location.
At this, Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh asked the lawyer how long it will take for him to inquire about the location. The lawyer said that he needs half an hour.
“Bring him back even if he is taken to Islamabad,” Justice Sheikh remarked before adjourning the hearing for a while.
Hours after Fawad’s arrest, the PTI leader was presented before the court of judicial magistrate Rana Mudassir in Lahore’s Cantt.
The former federal minister was presented before the court by the Islamabad Police to seek his transitory remand.
At the outset of the hearing, the prosecution told the judge that Islamabad Police had registered a case against Fawad. The prosecution also urged the court to approve a transitory remand of the PTI leader.
At this, Fawad’s lawyer argued that the distance between Islamabad and Lahore was of just four hours and there was no need for the transitory remand.
“They [police] should just present him [before a court] in Islamabad,” said Fawad’s lawyer. The counsel claimed that the police wanted to get the transitory remand so they could take his client somewhere else.
The counsel also urged the judge to order the police to uncuff his client’s hands. Instead of both hands only one should be handcuffed, he added.
At this, the judge remarked that the lawyer was wasting the court’s time over frivolous arguments.
Fawad’s lawyer also told the magistrate that a habeas corpus plea was pending before a high court and till that is decided his client’s transitory remand should not be approved. The magistrate then adjourned the hearing for a few minutes.
Once the hearing resumed, the court approved the transitory remand of the PTI leader to transfer Fawad to Islamabad and present him in a court of the federal capital.
However, the police has been asked to conduct a medical of the PTI leader at Services Hospital before he is taken to Islamabad.
Read more: Fawad Chaudhry arrested from his Lahore residence over ‘provocative’ statement
