LAHORE: An anti-corruption court in Lahore on Sunday rejected the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment’s (ACE) plea seeking physical remand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi in the Punjab Assembly illegal recruitments case and sent the PTI President Elahi on 14-day judicial remand to jail.
Judicial Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Virk sent the former Punjab chief minister to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.
The former Punjab chief minister — who was taken into custody by ACE officials for allegedly making illegal appointments in Punjab Assembly — was presented in the Lahore court amid strict security earlier today.
Also read; Court reserves verdict on Elahi’s physical remand in illegal appointments case
The Punjab ACE arrested the former chief minister for a third time on Saturday, after a local court in Gujranwala granted him relief in two corruption cases.
The anti-corruption officials sought the former chief minister’s physical remand from the court.
Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Virk reserved his verdict on the plea for the suspect’s physical remand.
According to an ACE spokesperson, the case of the illegal appointments alleges that Elahi recruited 12 Grade-17 officers in the Punjab Assembly against merit.
“He got changed the results of these candidates belonging to Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin. We have collected evidence and also arrested Secretary Punjab Assembly Rai Mumtaz Hussain in this regard,” he was quoted as saying in Dawn.
Before the hearing, Elahi told media persons inside the court that he would not back down even if “they register 100 cases [against me]”.
He added that his message to PTI members and supporters was to “put up a fight against these tactics employed by them [authorities] with bravery and not to get worried.”
“Stand firm and continue to fight against them,” he added.
Asked whether he was still standing with the PTI, he replied, “For sure, for sure.”
Earlier, Elahi’s lawyer Rana Intizar told the media that he would continue to fight the PTI president’s case despite threats.
“This is my job and no one can stop me from doing it,” he said, condemning the interim government’s “interference” in the matters of the court.
