Freedom eludes Sanam Javed again

PTI activist Sanam Javed, who was acquitted in a May 9 case by the Lahore High Court (LHC) last week, was rearrested by the Islamabad Police as soon as she stepped out of the Central Jail of Gujranwala on Saturday.

On July 10, a division bench of the LHC, led by Justice Asjad Javed Ghural, discharged Sanam from the charges filed in Gujranwala in relation to the May 9, 2023, rioting.

Later, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) judge, Naeem Saleem, issued Sanam’s release order, based on which the Gujranwala Central Jail authorities released her from prison on Saturday.

However, a heavy contingent of the Islamabad Police arrested the PTI leader as soon as she came out of the prison. All the roads leading to the prison remained closed for eight hours during this re-arrest drama.

Until the filing of this report, the Islamabad Police had not disclosed the reason for detaining Sanam nor allowed her family to meet her.

Sanam Javed, initially arrested in Lahore, faces multiple cases filed against her in various cities in the wake of the May 9 incidents of vandalism.