ATC remands Elahi in ACE custody

Issues perpetual arrest warrants for 10 PTI leaders

RAWALPINDI:

The Anti-Corruption Establishment of Punjab (ACE) took former chief minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi into custody on Wednesday after the anti-terrorism court (ATC) of Islamabad approved its request for a transit remand.

Elahi was not produced in the ATC for the transit remand hearing. Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain accepted the request and handed over Elahi to the ACE authorities on a one-day remand. Later, an anti-corruption team took him into custody from the Adiala Jail and took him to Lahore.

The ACE had initially moved a civil court for the custody of Elahi. However, the court had rejected the request, saying that the former Punjab chief minister was under the custody and the ATC Islamabad should be approached. Elahi was in Adiala Jail on judicial remand in the Judicial Complex attack case.

Read also: Court extends Elahi's judicial remand till Nov 21 in judicial complex riot case

In the same case, the ATC issued perpetual arrest warrants for 10 PTI leaders, namely Murad Saeed, Omar Ayub, Ali Amin Gandapur, Shibli Faraz, Farrukh Habib, Hammad Azhar, Ali Nawaz Awan, Hassaan Khan Niazi and Umar Sultan.

Judge Zulqarnain said that the permanent arrest warrants were being issued after the accused’s continuous absence from the court. He said that the accused had been declared proclaimed offenders, therefore, they should be arrested and brought to court.