• The PTI chairman will now contact the district commissioner.
• PTI chairman’s lawyers have withdrawn the petition.
• The government has passed an order to keep them in custody for 30 days.

Lahore: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday directed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Pervez Elahi to approach the authorities concerned against his detention.

Hearing a petition against Elahi’s detention order, Justice Ali Bakar Najafi of the LHC said, “You should file an appeal with the District Commissioner; he will hear your petition and issue orders thereon.”

Elahi’s counsel argued that the court can set aside the order in line with precedents, but Justice Najafi told him that he can challenge the decision of the authorities concerned in court.

After this, the PTI chairman’s lawyers withdrew the petition.

The Punjab government on Sunday issued an order to detain the former provincial chief minister for 30 days under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order, 1960.

Elahi then moved the court seeking quashing of the order as he has been behind bars for almost a month.

In a petition submitted through Elahi’s lawyer Ameer Saeed at the LHC on Monday, the former chief minister said his detention order was against the court’s decision to release him.

,[I have] There is no other adequate remedy provided by law except invoking the constitutional jurisdiction of this Hon’ble Court, hence, the instant petition,” the plea noted.

Elahi prayed that the court accept his plea and declare the government’s detention order as “illegal, void, against law and of no legal effect”.

He also urged the court to direct the caretaker Punjab government, the home secretary and the Punjab Inspector General of Prisons to take action against the SPs for the district jails.

Elahi was initially arrested on June 1 in a corruption case during a crackdown on PTI in the wake of the May 9 protests. Thereafter, he was arrested again several times in different cases, including two money laundering cases.

Order

The order issued by the deputy commissioner of Lahore on Sunday night said that Elahi would be kept at Lahore Camp Jail, where he has already been incarcerated, for at least a month.

The notification states that the decision has been taken following a recommendation made by the Lahore District Intelligence Committee.

According to documents accessed by The News, the committee has told that Elahi is a prominent member of PTI and a fiery orator.

They have the ability to instigate people to create law and order situation.

Model Town SP and District Intelligence Committee have reported that Elahi is capable of causing mayhem and disorder, and there is a genuine fear that his supporters may cause damage to life and property.

He has proposed to keep Elahi in custody for 30 days.

Two FIRs against them – numbers 22/604 and 22/1822 – have been registered at Qila Gujjar Singh police station, while another FIR – 23/1150 – has been registered at Ghalib Market police station.

As per the investigation under these FIRs, it has been proved that Elahi and his accomplices are involved in arson, terrorism and resistance against law enforcement agencies.

The deputy commissioner’s order states that Elahi can approach the Punjab government against the decision.