The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday issued a show-cause notice for contempt of court to Islamabad Inspector General (IG) Dr. Akbar Nasir Khan while hearing a plea for Parvez Elahi’s production in court.
The recent saga began with Islamabad police re-arresting Parvez Elahi near his residence on Friday, shortly after the LHC had set him free with a restraining order against his potential arrest by any agency or preventive detention.
The arrest, which made while Elahi was traveling with his lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa to his house, was captured on video and widely condemned on social media.
The Islamabad police stated that they took the former chief minister into custody under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order.
In response to his re-arrest, Parvez Elahi approached the Islamabad High Court for release, and his wife, Qaisara Elahi, filed two pleas in the LHC.
These pleas sought directions for relevant authorities to present Elahi in court and initiated contempt proceedings against Punjab police officials for “wilful disobedience.”
During today’s hearing on Qaisara’s plea for Elahi’s production in court, LHC’s Justice Amjad Rafiq summoned Punjab IG Dr. Usman Anwar and Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Bilal Siddique Kamyana.
The plea named several respondents, including the Punjab police chief and other high-ranking officials, and requested Elahi’s production in court to confirm his legal status.
The court initially summoned IG Anwar and the CCPO to appear in person by 11 am, but the government lawyer requested more time until 2 pm. Eventually, IG Anwar appeared in court along with Punjab Advocate General Khalid Ishaq.
During the proceedings, Justice Rafiq emphasized the need to uncover the facts surrounding Elahi’s arrest.
The Punjab Advocate General stated that he was only responsible for any contempt committed by his team and offered to launch a new investigation into the matter.
When asked about Elahi’s whereabouts, both the Punjab IG and Advocate General claimed ignorance and suggested that Islamabad police might have the information. However, the judge pointed out that Elahi was held in Attock Jail.
Elahi’s lawyer, Latif Khosa, disputed the Punjab IG’s statement, calling it “based on lies.” Nevertheless, the IG maintained that Punjab police were unaware of Elahi’s location.
Subsequently, the court issued a notice to the Islamabad IG, seeking an explanation as to why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him.
Meanwhile, Parvez Elahi’s son, Moonis Elahi, reported that his father was briefly taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences from Attock Jail but was later returned to the jail. Moonis expressed concern over the delay in his father’s return.
Additionally, the LHC sought responses from Lahore Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Investigation Imran Kishwar and DIG Operations Ali Nasir Rizvi in response to another plea filed by Qaisara, seeking contempt proceedings against these officials for flouting court orders and arresting her husband.
Justice Rafiq instructed the officials to submit their responses in court by 2 pm, warning that a show-cause notice would be issued if they failed to appear.
