- Magistrate sends accused ex-Punjab CM to judicial lockup following LHC orders
LAHORE: Former Punjab chief minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Central President Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Tuesday complained of maltreatment in cusdtody, saying he was being allowed to meet family and kept in a small room for the past 10 days despite deteriorated health.
Talking to journalists ahead of his hearing at a local court here on Tuesday, the former Punjab CM said: “I am unwell and for 10 days I have been locked up in a tiny room. The fan in the room malfunctions, and I am not being permitted to meet my family.”
To questions about his ‘possible plans’ to leave the PTI, Elahi said “I am not being allowed to meet anyone, how could I hold a press conference?”
“I am not even being permitted to speak with media persons here,” he claimed.
“Do you see what condition I am in over here,” the former CM said.
Meanwhile, the police blocked the media from entering the courtroom and pushed journalists away. SHO Shabia Raza said that journalists will not be allowed inside the court under any circumstances.
HEARING OF CORRUPTION, POWER ABUSE CASE
In a long legal battle, where the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) contested the magisterial court’s decision to send former chief minister of Punjab and PTI Central President, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on judicial remand instead of a physical remand, Elahi’s legal team gained ground as he was resent to judicial lockup on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, Elahi was arrested by the ACE once again, this time, on alleged charges of conducting illegal recruitments within the Punjab Assembly during his tenure as Punjab CM. Prior to this, Elahi had already been discharged by two separate magisterial courts in two different FIRs registered against him by the ACE.
The legal battle on the justifiability of Elahi’s judicial remand between the ACE and the former CM’s legal team started when a magisterial court turned down ACE’s request of increasing Elahi’s physical remand period and instead, sent him on a 14-days judicial remand. Subsequently, the ACE challenged this decision in district and sessions court, where the judge suspended the court’s previous order of judicial remand and referred the case to the magisterial court.
Meanwhile, Elahi’s legal team challenged the district court’s order in the Lahore High Court (LHC), which suspended it and issued an order seeking responses from the concerned quarters. As proceedings commenced, the Investigation Officer sought to extend Elahi’s physical remand during the course of the investigation. The officer also demanded the recovery of the accused’s personal mobile phone for forensic analysis.
Elahi’s legal counsel, Rana Intizar Hussain, strongly opposed the physical remand request, arguing that the FIR had been registered on the basis of a source that had not been disclosed to the person accused. He further said that the case was based on false claims of certain statements made by the co-accused, Rai Mumtaz Hussain, who had already categorically denied the claims before the court.
He pointed out that the alleged occurrence took place in 2021, while the FIR was registered in 2023, at a time when the accused was already under ACE custody. He asserted that no inquiry was conducted and no statement of allegations was given to the accused which was a sheer violation of Article 10-A of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973.
When presented with LHC’s order in the magisterial court, magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Virk sent the accused Elahi to judicial lockup. However, the court also directed the concerned quarters to produce the accused persons, including Elahi, by June 27, along with a police report as dictated by section 173 of the CrPC.
Ex-CM complains maltreatment in custody
During the proceedings, as former CM Elahi took to the rostrum, he complained to the court about facing maltreatment while in custody. He claimed that his medical tests had not been conducted properly and that he was not provided proper treatment.
In response, the magisterial court directed the superintendent of district jail, Lahore, to conduct all medical tests of the accused, provide him with proper treatment, and submit his medical report within three days.
ACE CASE, ARREST
The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) with the help of Punjab Police had arrested Ch Pervaiz Elahi earlier this month.
Caretaker Information Minister Amir Mir had confirmed Elahi’s arrest, saying he was in his vehicle and “trying to flee” when he was arrested.
Subsequently, the former chief minister was sent to prison on June 4 for a 14-day judicial remand by a judicial magistrate in Lahore
Days later, he was taken to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) after his health deteriorated in prison. Doctors at the PIC had conducted Elahi’s medical tests on complaints of chest pain. He was later shifted back to prison.
