A district court in Lahore has ordered a 14-day judicial remand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Parvez Elahi in a money laundering case.
Elahi was taken into custody by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) earlier in the day from the district jail wherein he awaited his release order in backdrop of a bail granted by an anti-corruption court in Lahore yesterday which was followed by registration of a case against PTI President, his son Moonis Elahi, and three others on charges of money laundering.
Elahi was presented before the district court after being taken into custody.
During today’s hearing presided over by Judicial Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Virk, the FIA sought a 14-day physical remand of Elahi, citing “solid evidence” against him to further their investigation. However, the court rejected the FIA’s request and ordered a 14-day judicial remand for the PTI president.
Advocate Rana Intizar, Elahi’s counsel, argued that a previous inquiry had already been conducted in the same case and claimed that the cases were politically motivated to target Parvez Elahi.
Intizar requested the court to discharge his client from the case.
During the hearing, Parvez Elahi himself expressed dissatisfaction with the conditions in the jail, lamenting the lack of facilities and inadequate provisions.
He criticized the FIA for allegedly disregarding the court’s orders and requested the filing of a contempt of court against the agency.
In a separate development, Elahi’s son, Rasikh, has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking information about all the cases against his father and requesting protective bail for him in the money laundering case. The petition claims that Elahi is being politically victimized by the law enforcement agencies in Punjab and falsely implicated in various cases by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE). It also alleges that false cases were registered against Elahi at the behest of the federal government.
Rasikh’s petition asks the LHC to direct the respondents, including the Punjab caretaker government, ACE, FIA, Punjab Inspector General Dr. Usman Anwar, the capital city police officer, and the deputy inspector general, to provide all details of criminal cases and FIRs registered against his father.
Additionally, it requests the court to prevent Elahi’s arrest until he has been provided with copies of the FIRs and a reasonable opportunity to apply for anticipatory/protective bail.
The petition refers to a previous court order from May that prohibited the arrest of Parvez Elahi in any of the cases filed against him, arguing that the law enforcement agencies are not fulfilling their duties in accordance with the law.
It criticizes the manner in which raids were conducted at Elahi’s residence, likening it to an operation in tribal areas without regard for privacy.
