Nine FIRs lodged against Qureshi, Punjab Police informs LHC

Responding to a petition filed by Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s daughter, the Punjab Police confirmed on Tuesday that nine FIRs have been lodged against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vice chairperson.

Qureshi’s daughter, Gauhar Bano Qureshi, had filed a petition before the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking details of undisclosed or new FIRs lodged against the former foreign minister on, and since, May 9, 2023.

The provincial police department submitted that Qureshi is named in five FIRs in Multan and four in Lahore. Four FIRs were lodged in Multan on May 9 and another one on May 10 while two FIRs were registered in Lahore on May 10, one on March 6 and another on March 14.

Earlier on Tuesday, LHC’s Rawalpindi bench had issued directives for Qureshi’s immediate release from Adiala Jail and declared his detention ‘illegal’.

Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz also directed Qureshi to submit an affidavit before the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner within three days of his release. The verdict maintained that the ex-minister could conduct peaceful political activities according to the Constitution of Pakistan and the law. It mandated that he stay away from protests that include vandalism, sieges and burning, but can hold peaceful protests.

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In her petition, Gauhar had listed the Punjab chief secretary, Punjab IGP and her father as respondents. She prayed the court direct the relevant authorities to ensure Qureshi’s protection and refrain from arresting him in any new criminal case lodged on or after May 9 without permission from the court.

The petition maintained that hundreds of politically motivated and unlawful FIRs have been registered against PTI leaders and workers, thousands of whom have been picked up and illegally detained. The whereabouts of many PTI workers taken into custody are undisclosed.

Similarly, a number of undisclosed criminal cases have been registered against her father, who is the vice chairperson of the beleaguered party. The petitioner said she feared that Qureshi may be arrested unjustifiably again in some undisclosed case or suffer the fate of those being kept in unlawful detention.

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Bano sought protection from the court from grave violations of rights protected by the Constitution of Pakistan. The petitioner pleaded to the court for protection from “the most audacious assault on fundamental rights launched by any executive of this country in furtherance of the most constitutionally abhorrent objective; to prevent or delay elections as required by the Constitution in order to ensure that the largest political party in Pakistan may be prevented from the participating or winning such elections”.

At the previous hearing, LHC Justice Ali Baqar Najafi had directed the relevant parties to submit their report on June 6.

On May 23, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had issued directives for Qureshi’s release after he submitted an undertaking to the court. However, hours later he was re-arrested by the Punjab Police from outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.