LHC orders release of TLP chief Saad Rizvi

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday declared the second detention of proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Saad Rizvi illegal and ordered his release.

Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh heard the plea by Rizvi's counsel, which had made the federal and provincial governments, the chief secretary, home secretary, inspector general police and others respondents in the case.

According to the petitioner's counsel, Rizvi, following his detention, was named in 14 different cases. He added that the review board of LHC had refused to extend the TLP chief's detention.

He claimed in court that his client's party was a purely religious organisation and had nothing to do with the country's politics. However, he maintained, the government arrested several leaders of the party on a political basis and put them in detention over threat to public peace.

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The counsel said Rizvi was produced before the review board of LHC after three months in prison but the board did not extend his detention.

The counsel prayed upon the court to declare the detention illegal, and restrain the government from arresting the TLP chief in other cases. Subsequently, the court declared Rizvi's detention illegal and ordered his release from jail.

Saad is the son of the firebrand cleric and previous head of the TLP, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who died in November last year.

He was arrested after TLP's central council warned the government that if it did not expel the French ambassador from the country, they would march towards Islamabad.

The banned outfit called off its violent protests after the federal government tabled a resolution in parliament to debate the French ambassador's expulsion.