Elahi booked in three cases under ATA

RAWALPINDI:

The difficulties of PTI president and former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi have increased with him being named in three cases registered under the anti-terrorism law in separate police stations of the Taxila Circle.

In a letter from the Rawalpindi police, the authorities have been informed that Elahi, who was currently incarcerated in Adiala Jail in connection with corruption charges, had been booked at three police stations of the Taxila Circle under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and other provisions.

Case number 940 was filed against Elahi under the ATA and other provisions on May 9 last year.

He was named in case number 948 registered on May 11, 2023, at the Taxila police station.

Elahi was further booked in case number 744 registered on May 10, 2023, under the ATA and other provisions at Wah Sadar police station.

In a related development, an arrest warrant was issued for PTI’s former provincial law minister Raja Basharat, who was named in cases filed under the ATA and other terrorism-related provisions at Rawalpindi’s RA Bazar and Cantt police stations.

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A separate report read that raids were underway to round up Basharat in connection with case number 836/23 filed against him at Cantt police station.

Interestingly, the former Punjab chief minister has been languishing in jail for several months, but Basharat, who is wanted in two high-profile terrorism cases at Rawalpindi’s RA Bazar and Cantt police stations, is openly engaged in political activities and was seen a day earlier actively participating in an online campaign against the alleged polls rigging.

Attempts were made to reach out to SP Potohar Nasir Nawaz to find out his position on the matter but he could not be contacted.

In September last year, Elahi was arrested again over terrorism charges and transferred to Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail after an anti-corruption court in Lahore ordered his release while discharging him in a case of irregularities in the Lahore Master Plan 2050.

Elahi is among many PTI leaders and activists, who have been rounded up amid the State’s crackdown on the party following the countrywide riots that broke out after its founding chairman and former premier Imran Khan’s first arrest on May 9 last year.

Last month, the Lahore High Court granted bail to the PTI president in an illegal recruitment case.

Read: Elahi accuses Shehbaz of cruelty, refuses talks until ‘stolen seats’ returned

Elahi was booked by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab on charges of illegally recruiting a low-ranking officer as his principal secretary by misusing his powers when he was serving as the chief minister.

A single-judge bench, comprising Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry, heard Elahi’s bail petition.

Amir Saeed Rawn, Elahi’s lawyer argued that the police had no justification for keeping the PTI president behind bars after the completion of the investigation, and requested the court to approve his client’s bail.

He argued that a bogus FIR was registered against his client merely to humiliate and embarrass him even though he had nothing to do with the case.

The lawyer asked the court to grant Elahi post-arrest bail.

The court directed Elahi to furnish surety bonds of Rs100,000 for availing the relief of bail.