Leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Shehryar Afridi was re-arrested on Friday by Rawalpindi police under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance.
The arrest came shortly after an anti-terrorism court (ATC) ordered his release in a case related to the May 9 violence registered at the New Town police station.
The former minister and his legal team alleged that they were subjected to “torture” by the Punjab police outside the court premises.
A video posted by the PTI party on twitter depicted Afridi in torn clothes, visibly distressed, while his lawyers offered him water.
In another clip, the PTI leader was seen surrounded by a large contingent of police officers.
Yesterday, Afridi was picked up by the police after the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court granted him bail.
Speaking to the media just before his re-arrest, Afridi expressed bewilderment about the case he was being detained for and emphasized that he was a law-abiding and responsible citizen.
However, upon his release, Afridi was re-arrested on the orders of Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema under Section 3 of the MPO ordinance. He was subsequently taken to Adiala Jail.
The ATC, in its order, directed authorities to release Afridi and also issued show-cause notices to the investigation officer (IO), the senior superintendent of police (investigation), and the relevant superintendent of police. The court sought their responses by August 7.
Judge Hamid Hussain, presiding over the case, noted that the IO had failed to gather incriminating material against Afridi and observed “malafide of the police” on record.
Afridi’s lawyer stated that the police had informed them about a “fresh MPO order” following his client’s release. The counsel vowed to challenge the detention order in the high court, asserting that Afridi respected the law and was surrendering to the “illegal” arrest.
