Pakistan court orders release of PTI vice-chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi
Islamabad, June 6
A Pakistan court on Tuesday ordered the immediate release of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vice-chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who was arrested following the May 9 violent protests.
Qureshi, 66, served as Pakistan’s foreign affairs minister from 2018 to 2022 under Imran Khan’s regime. He was among the top PTI leaders arrested after violent protests following Khan’s arrest on May 9. He has been arrested multiple times since his first arrest.
While hearing a petition against his arrest, the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi Bench on Tuesday ordered that Qureshi should not be arrested under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance anymore.
Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz, who presided over the hearing, also declared Rawalpindi deputy commissioner’s MPO orders illegal and directed authorities to immediately release Qureshi without asking him to submit surety bonds. During the hearing, the court inquired from the law officer if Qureshi had given any speech or led any protest.
