ISLAMABAD: In a huge relief for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) – which has been caught in a political storm for the past several weeks – Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the vice chairman of the party, was released on Tuesday after about a month-long incarceration from Adiala jail.

Soon after his release from Adiala jail, he told reporters that he called upon his workers to remain steadfast, saying he would dash off to Lahore to meet the party chief.

“I will meet party chairman Imran Khan tomorrow (June 07), will present to him my political analysis and seek guidance,” he added.

During a hearing on Tuesday, the LHC’s Rawalpindi bench set aside Qureshi’s detention orders and restrained the police from arresting him in any other case pertaining to the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).

Last week, the PTI leader’s daughter approached the court requesting to restrain police from arresting her father in any other case and his release.

During the hearing, Punjab Assistant Attorney General Abid Aziz Rajouri represented the government while lawyer Taimur Malik and Qureshi’s daughter were present on behalf of the PTI leader.

Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz presided over the hearing during which the government lawyer requested the court to grant more time for preparing his arguments.

The judge accepted his request and adjourned the hearing for an hour. “If you have evidence against Shah Mahmood Qureshi, present in court within an hour,” he directed.

However, when the hearing resumed, Rajouri sought another two days to present evidence against Qureshi.

“Leave whatever happened in the past and move forward now,” Justice Aziz said here. “Everything is not a joke,” he added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023