Lahore: In Punjab, the orders of detention of PTI workers in 11 districts including the provincial capital Lahore were cancelled.
Justice Safdar Saleem Shahid of Lahore High Court has issued a 9-page written decision on the petitions of Imran Abbas Bhatti and others, in which the detention orders of Dr. Yasmin Rashid and others have been declared illegal.
The court verdict said that the shocking incident of May 9 presented a distorted image of a peaceful and democratic country. It was the government’s responsibility to maintain law and order. In its decision, the court quashed the detention orders of PTI workers in Wazirabad, Jhang, Sheikhupoh, Hafizabad, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujarat, Nankana Sahib, Gujranwala and Narowal.
The court said in the verdict that there was a sad reaction across the country on the arrest of the political leader on May 9. The government issued innumerable detention orders without thinking about the May 9 incident. If the government had any evidence, there was plenty of time to make arrests in criminal cases. Arrested persons should know the charges so that they can defend themselves. It is sad to pick up citizens and put them in jails without trial.
It has been said in the judgment that in every notification by the Deputy Commissioner, the citizens were put in jail only on the report of the DPO. The decision of the Deputy Commissioners to ban the sight itself is a violation of Section 3 of the Public Mantis Ordinance, 1960. The court ordered that all the detained persons be released immediately.
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