LAHORE: In a significant judicial turn of events, Parvez Elahi, a prominent PTI figure, was liberated from Kot Lakhpat Jail on Tuesday night following the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision to grant him bail. The case in question pertained to an allegedly illicit appointment made during his tenure as the chief minister of Punjab Assembly.
Justice Sultan Tanvir Ahmed of the LHC endorsed Elahi’s bail plea earlier in the day, stipulating his immediate release. The judicial directive, accessible via Dawn.com, highlighted the necessity for additional scrutiny into Elahi’s purported transgressions, culminating in a bail requirement set at Rs500,000, accompanied by two sureties of identical value.
Elahi’s legal representative, Amir Saeed Rawn, conveyed to Dawn.com that the PTI stalwart had safely arrived at Zahoor Elahi Palace.
Earlier in the month, Elahi had been transferred to Kot Lakhpat Jail, a move that drew significant attention.
In a proclamation on his official X account, Elahi expressed his profound gratitude to the divine for his exoneration and for fortifying his resilience during the ordeal.
“I extend my heartfelt thanks to the judges who acknowledged the veracity, facilitating my release. I am deeply appreciative of all who offered their prayers and unwavering support during these challenging times. The populace of Gujarat endured profound adversity and injustice. Our mandate in Gujarat was blatantly usurped.”
Elahi categorically ruled out any prospect of rapprochement with his cousin, Chaudhry Shujaat, the chief of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, and his kin until “the restoration of our mandate.”
He implicated Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi as a pivotal figure in orchestrating his detention.
“I have been, remain, and will continue to be an unwavering ally of Imran Khan,” he avowed.
PTI Senator Faisal Javed extended his felicitations to Elahi upon his release, lauding his steadfast loyalty to the party.
The PTI echoed similar sentiments, commending his unwavering fortitude.
Fawad Chaudhry, a former federal minister and PTI luminary, characterized Elahi’s release as a “breath of fresh air.”
Elahi’s initial detention occurred on June 1 of the previous year. Despite a series of releases and subsequent re-arrests, he remained incarcerated amidst the government’s stringent crackdown on PTI in the wake of the May 9 upheavals that targeted pivotal governmental and military installations.
The core of the case involved the alleged illicit appointment of Muhammad Khan Bhatti as principal secretary to the chief minister during Elahi’s administration in Punjab.
Elahi’s first apprehension on June 3 last year related to purported illegal recruitments in the Punjab Assembly, where he faced accusations of manipulating testing service outcomes to favor preferred candidates for 12 Grade-17 officer roles.
He was re-arrested on September 18 for the alleged unlawful appointment of Bhatti, following which a Lahore court placed him under judicial remand.
In October, a Lahore district and sessions court granted the police a two-day physical remand of Elahi. Shortly thereafter, the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment claimed to have retrieved Rs4.1 million from the former CM’s domicile.
The subsequent month witnessed a judicial magistrate discharging Bhatti from the case, yet he remained incarcerated due to other corruption allegations. Later that month, Elahi was denied bail in the case.
This convoluted legal saga underscores the complexities and nuances of political and judicial processes in Pakistan, reflecting the broader struggles and contentious dynamics within the nation’s political landscape.
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