Parvez Elahi presented before Lahore court in illegal appointments case

PTI President Parvez Elahi was on Sunday presented before a Lahore district court — after he was re-arrested for the second time in two days — in a case pertaining to illegal recruitments in the Punjab Assembly.

The former Punjab chief minister was brought to court by officials of the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) amid tight security.

Judicial Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Virk is hearing ACE’s request for Elahi’s physical remand.

According to an ACE spokesperson, the illegal appointments case alleges that Elahi recruited 12 Grade-17 officers in the Punjab Assembly against merit.

“He got changed the results of these candidates belonging to Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin. We have collected evidence and also arrested Secretary Punjab Assembly Rai Mumtaz Hussain in this regard,” he told Dawn.

Elahi asserts support for PTI

Ahead of the hearing, Elahi said while speaking to the media that even if “they register 100 cases [against me], it would not make a difference”.

He added that his message to PTI members and supporters was to “put up a fight against these tactics employed by them [authorities] with bravery and not to get worried”.

“Stand firm and continue to fight against them,” he added.

Asked whether he was still standing with the PTI, he replied, “For sure, for sure.”

Earlier, Elahi’s lawyer Rana Intizar told Dawn.com that he would continue to fight the PTI president’s case despite threats.

“This is my job and no one can stop me from doing it,” he said, condemning the interim government’s “interference” in the matters of the court.

Arrest and re-arrests

Elahi is among several PTI leaders and workers who have been arrested amid the state’s crackdown on the PTI leadership following the May 9 riots during protests over party chief Imran Khan being whisked away by the Rangers at the Islamabad High Court premises.

Currently, Shah Mahmoud Qureshi, Ali Muhammad Khan, Yasmin Rashid, Mehmoodur Rasheed and others from the PTI are also under arrest.

Elahi was first arrested by ACE officials from outside his residence on June 1 in a corruption case. However, the court termed charges against Elahi not “well-founded” and discharged him.

Soon after his discharge, Elahi was taken into custody again by anti-corruption officials in two cases — registered in Gujranwala — accusing him of causing a loss of Rs100 million to the national exchequer and receiving kickbacks during his time as Punjab chief executive.

On Saturday, Elahi was produced before Judicial Magistrate Mohammad Afzal’s court in Gujranwala. After the arguments from the ACE and Elahi’s lawyers, the court discharged the PTI president in both cases and ordered his immediate release if he was not required in any other case.

But the PTI president was arrested yet again eluded of his liberty and arrested for “illegal recruitments” in the Punjab Assembly.

ACE Director General Sohail Zafar Chattha said Elahi had been discharged in two corruption cases on “technical grounds” by the judicial magistrate Gujranwala that there was no mechanism to arrest a chief minister.

“The ACE has observed all legal and codal formalities for initiation of the inquiry and subsequent arrest of the former chief minister. There was no violation of any law or rules. The ACE will file an appeal against the judgment to discharge the accused as there is strong evidence of corruption in the project against him,” Chattha added.