ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court(IHC) has ordered the immediate release of PTI’s leader Shireen Mazari after Punjab’s anti-corruption department’s officials presented the arrested leader in the court at midnight on Saturday.
The Court also ordered the federal government to conduct a judicial inquiry into the arrest of the former federal minister and senior leader of Pakistan Tehreek -e-Insaf (PTI).
The government was also ordered to inform the court regarding the inquiry on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, the IHC had ordered the authority concerned to produce the arrested leader before the court at 11:30 pm. The order was issued on Mazari’s daughter Emaan Zainab Mazari’s petition against her mother’s arrest.
After a brief hearing, the court ordered the immediate release of the arrested leader.
It should be noted that on Saturday afternoon was arrested from Islamabad by Punjab’s anti-corruption department. In footage of her arrest, Shireen could be seen being dragged out of a car by female police personnel while she could be heard protesting: “No. Don’t touch me.” Police officials could be heard telling Mazari that “there is no issue” and the matter could be discussed “peacefully”.
A private media outlet had reported that the former minister was taken into custody in a case related to the encroachment of a piece of land in District Rajanpur, filed in Dera Ghani (DG) Khan in 1972.
According to the details of the case, the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACEP) Punjab registered the case on the complaint of Assistant Commissioner Rajanpur. Mazari is accused of encroaching upon a piece of land.
A complaint was lodged against Shireen Mazari on March 11, 2022, while AC Rajanpur was directed to inquire into the matter. The concerned official prepared the report of the case on April 8 and in the light of this, the Anti-Corruption Establishment registered a criminal case under its Rules 2014.
‘Kidnapping’
Talking to journalists outside the Kohsar police station, Imaan Zainab Mazari termed her mother’s detention a “kidnapping”. “She was kidnapped — I won’t say she was arrested,” she said, standing alongside PTI leaders Fawad Chaudhry and Shibli Faraz.
“When someone is arrested, the police inform you on what charge a person is taken away for,” she said.
“I don’t know where she is. She has been forcibly disappeared by this government because they think women are soft targets,” Imaan said, adding: “I won’t spare anyone if anything happens to my mother.”
