Family appeals to superior judiciary to take notice of Sheikh Rashid's arrest
Pakistan
Family appeals to judiciary to take notice of Sheikh Rashid's arrest
RAWALPINDI (Dunya News) – Twenty-four hours after his arrest, former interior minister Sheikh Rashid has not been produced in any court, his nephew Sheikh Rashid Shafiq stated Monday, requesting the chief justices of the Supreme Court and the Lahore High Court (LHC) to take an immediate notice of the incident.
Using the social networking platform X (formerly Twitter), Shafiq stated that the current whereabouts of Sheikh Rashid, his elder brother Sheikh Shakir, staff member Sheikh Imran and driver Sajjad have not been disclosed.
"More than 24 hours have passed, and former federal interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has not been brought before any local court, nor has there been any information provided about my elder brother Sheikh Shakir, staff member Sheikh Imran, and driver Sajjad through our advocates Sardar Abdul Razzaq and Sardar Shahbaz," he wrote in his initial post.
— Sheikh Rashid Shafiq (@SheikhRashid60) September 18, 2023
In another tweet, Shafiq mentioned that a writ petition has been filed with the Lahore High Court and emphasized that if any case has been registered against Sheikh Rashid, it should be presented in court as soon as possible.
"A writ petition has been submitted to the Lahore High Court, and it has been scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday. Both Sheikh Rashid and I are prepared to abide by the law. If there is any case registered against former interior minister Sheikh Rashid, it should be promptly brought before the court," he wrote in his second tweet.
— Sheikh Rashid Shafiq (@SheikhRashid60) September 18, 2023
In his third post, Shafiq urged the chief justices of the Supreme Court and the Lahore High Court to take notice of the incident and instruct the relevant departments to present the senior politician in court.
"I appeal to the chief justices of the Supreme Court and the Lahore High Court to take cognisance of this incident and hold the responsible departments accountable for producing senior politician Sheikh Rashid in court," he stated in his latest tweet.
— Sheikh Rashid Shafiq (@SheikhRashid60) September 18, 2023
On Monday, the Lahore High Court received a petition challenging the arrest of Sheikh Rashid, the leader of the Awami Muslim League (AML). The argument presented in the petition was that no case had been registered against the experienced politician.
In this petition, Sardar Abdul Razzaq and Sardar Shehbaz, the legal representatives for Sheikh Rashid, named the Punjab police chief, Rawalpindi CCPO, SSP Operations, and others as parties involved.
Read also: Court moved against Sheikh Rashid's arrest
The petition details that the SSP Operations arrested Rashid from his house illegally, and the police were not providing any satisfactory answer about the matter despite repeated attempts.
The petition seeks the release of Rashid, a close ally of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief, requesting the court to order the police to present the politician in the court without any delay.
Sheikh Rashid, the former interior minister and leader of the Awami Muslim League (AML), was reportedly arrested from his residence in Rawalpindi on Sunday evening.
His arrest was confirmed by his lawyer, Sardar Abdul Razzaq, who stated that Rashid had been been taken to an undisclosed location.
Sheikh Rashid, a political ally of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), had been in hiding since the events of May 9 when PTI workers and supporters had gone berserk.
Read more: Former interior minister Sheikh Rashid arrested in Rawalpindi: lawyer
Razzaq disclosed that plainclothes individuals, along with personnel of the Rawalpindi police, conducted the arrest at Rashid's residence in a local housing society.
Additionally, Rashid's nephew Shakir and a servant named Imran were taken into custody, he added.
Advocate Sardar Razzaq emphasised that no legal case had been registered against Sheikh Rashid in the province of Punjab.
