Qureshi re-arrested from outside Adiala Jail after IHC orders release

Senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi was re-arrested by Punjab Police from outside the Adiala Jail hours after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had ordered his release on Tuesday.

PTI leader Musarrat Jamshed Cheema was also re-arrested along with Qureshi, Express News reported.

The court had ordered the release of former foreign minister after the PTI leader submitted an undertaking to the court. The orders were issued by Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb.

“I am not leaving the party. I am with the party, I will stay with the party,” he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the PTI. The party also shared the video of his re-arrest on Twitter.

Qureshi's was allowed to meet with his daughter for a minute outside the prison after she requested the police to allow her to meet with her father. Qureshi had asked his daughter to bring some daily use items for him. Police then took the PTI leader away.

On May 18, the IHC had declared Qureshi’s arrest "illegal" as it issued orders for his release. Justice Aurangzeb heard the PTI leaderi’s plea against his arrest under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order Act (3MPO).

The court declared the arrest null and void and instructed the concerned authorities to ensure his release after he signs an undertaking.

The lawyer had responded that he will consult the ex-minister and submit the document accordingly.

Also read: IHC orders releasing Qureshi after he submits undertaking

However, till a day earlier, the PTI leader had been in jail custody even after five days of the court ordering for his release.

Qureshi’s lawyer, Taimur Malik, while speaking to reporters after yesterday's court proceedings, stated that, "Nothing can be said about the undertaking unless a meeting is held [with the PTI leader],” adding that he was not being allowed by the authorities to meet with his client in jail.

"We can only submit an undertaking after taking directions from him," Malik stressed.

Despite relief from the courts, however, there appears to be no respite in the crackdown on PTI leaders.

Their arrests came in the aftermath of violent protests that erupted following PTI chief Imran Khan's arrest, in which sensitive state and military institutions were targeted.