The Lahore High Court (LHC) has summoned the Punjab and Islamabad Inspector-Generals of Police (IGPs) over the failure to produce senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry in court. The summon was issued following a petition filed in the LHC challenging Chaudhry’s arrest for allegedly “threatening” the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) members and their families.
During the hearing, LHC Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh instructed the police to present Chaudhry in court by 1:30pm. However, the police refused to comply without a written order. Justice Sheikh expressed his annoyance and remarked that “the court knows how to have its orders implemented”. The judge gave the police until 6pm to produce Chaudhry and warned that he would take action if they failed to do so.
Chaudhry was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday and booked under sections 153A, 506, and 124A of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on a complaint lodged by the ECP Secretary, Umer Hameed. Chaudhry has reportedly been booked for alleged threats to the ECP and its members during a televised interview on Tuesday.
The sudden arrest of Chaudhry has angered the PTI leaders, including Hammad Azhar and Farrukh Habib, who have warned of launching countrywide protests and moving court against it. Chaudhry himself, in a short media talk earlier, said security had been placed in a way as a “terrorist” was being brought to court, adding that he was unaware of the charges leveled against him. He also urged people to take to the street against the government.
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