After being incarcerated for 11 months, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Parvez Elahi was released from Kot Lakhpat jail on Tuesday night. The Lahore High Court (LHC) granted him bail in a case involving an alleged illegal appointment made during his tenure as chief minister in the Punjab Assembly, as reported by Dawn.
Justice Sultan Tanvir Ahmed approved Elahi’s bail petition on Tuesday and ordered his release. The court noted that the case against Elahi required further investigation, leading to the approval of his bail petition, with bail set at PKR 500,000 and two sureties of the same amount each.
Elahi’s lawyer, Amir Saeed Rawn, informed Dawn that the PTI leader had arrived at Zahoor Elahi Palace. Elahi had been transferred to Kot Lakhpat jail earlier this month.
Upon his release, Elahi expressed gratitude to God for exonerating him and giving him the strength to remain steadfast. “I am grateful to the judges who supported the truth and I was released. I am grateful to all those who prayed for me and supported me in this difficult time. The people of Gujarat suffered a lot of abuse and cruelty. Even our mandate was stolen in Gujarat,” he posted on X.
Elahi also stated that he would not engage in talks with his cousin, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid chief Chaudhry Shujaat, and his children until “the return of our mandate.” He accused Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi of playing a key role in his arrest, asserting, “I was, am and will remain with Imran Khan.” Former federal minister and PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry described Elahi’s release as a “breath of fresh air.”
According to Dawn, Elahi was initially arrested on June 3 last year in a case related to the recruitment of 12 Grade 17 officers in the Punjab Assembly. He was accused of altering the testing service results to select his preferred candidates. On September 18, he was arrested again in connection with the alleged illegal appointment of Bhatti, leading to a Lahore court placing him on judicial remand.
In October, a Lahore district and sessions court granted police a two-day physical remand of Elahi in the case. Shortly after, the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment reported recovering PKR 4.1 million from Elahi’s residence. The following month, a judicial magistrate discharged Bhatti from the case, but Elahi remained in jail due to other corruption cases and was subsequently denied bail later that month.
