Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Parvez Elahi will shortly be presented before a Gujranwala court by officials of the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), Geo News reported.
Earlier today, ACE officials brought former Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi to its regional office in Gujranwala. On Friday, a Lahore district court discharged the case against Elahi. However, he was re-arrested from outside the court premises. Parvez Elahi was arrested on Friday minutes after the judicial magistrate in Lahore ordered his release in an embezzlement case, Geo News reported. On Thursday, Elahi was arrested by anti-corruption officials in the Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 70 million corruption case related to the embezzlement of development funds allocated for the Gujrat district.
The Judicial Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Virk on Friday issued the release orders while announcing the verdict he had reserved on a plea seeking Elahi’s physical remand, according to Geo News. “Parvez Elahi should be released if he is not wanted in any other case,” the verdict had said.
After being released from prison, Elahi, while speaking to reporters, said that he is innocent and a supporter of the Pakistan Army. He also took the jibe at the former party leaders, who announced their decision to part ways with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan.
He recalled that he did not make any political case against anyone and blamed Punjab’s caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi for his current predicament, Geo News reported. Elahi was arrested after an anti-corruption court last week revoked his temporary release for failing to appear in court due to health difficulties.
Parvez Elahi’s medical certificate, which said he was suffering from chest trouble, was also found fraudulent by the anti-corruption court judge. Elahi was wanted by anti-corruption police, according to Punjab interim Information Minister Amir Mir, who spoke to Geo News.
He said that the PTI president was escaping from his home when police stopped him and arrested him. The minister also stated that he put up resistance throughout the arrest, but the police were able to apprehend him, according to Geo News.
After Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9, several PTI workers took to the streets and held protests, demanding his release. Hundreds of PTI officials and workers have been detained since the protests erupted in Pakistan.