Police haul away PTI’s Haleem Adil Sheikh in Karachi

In spite of a restraining order from the top court of the province, police arrested Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Haleem Adil Sheikh from outside the court building and bundled him off to an undisclosed location.

Haleem had appeared in the public for the first time since the May 9 riots.

He had come to the SHC for the hearing of his appeal against the non-bailable arrest warrant.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) suspended the non-bailable arrest warrant of Sheikh and ordered him to appear before the relevant court in seven days.

A two-member bench headed by Justice KK Agha heard the petition against the issuance of non-bailable arrest warrant of the PTI leader and restrained the anti-corruption police from arresting him.

Defence counsel stated that the police were present in the vicinity of the high court despite the bail to Haleem Adil Sheikh. The police should be stopped from arresting him, the counsel requested the court.

Justice Amjad Ali Sehto remarked that the police have been restrained from arresting the PTI leader in the case for which the petition was filed. How can an order be made in an issue which is not made part of the application? The anti-corruption court of Hyderabad had issued a non-bail able arrest warrant for Haleem Adil Sheikh for non-appearance.

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An application was filed in the Sindh High Court against the arrest warrant related to the allegation of arson in May 9 incident.

The petition stated that Sheikh is on a protective bail from the Peshawar High Court. SHC should suspend non-bailable arrest warrants issued by the Special Anti-Terrorism Court, Hyderabad, against Sheikh.

The court should restrain all institutions from arresting Sheikh in any of the cases framed against him.

Later while talking to the media informally, Haleem said, “We have never tried to run away from the courts. What PPP has done to me in five years. Despite this, I have also come to the courts.”

Haleem said that the PPP wanted to put a gun on someone else's shoulder while going. Now we have come to the courts. “The patriotic leader of the country is in jail today for his nation,” Haleem said, adding, if he wanted to run, he could have gone. Many people flee to London and Dubai, but for the sake of the nation, he is facing hardship in Attock Jail.

Soon after his media talk, police officials came and took him away.