LAHORE – Following the chaos of May 9, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday ordered the release of everyone jailed in different Punjabi districts under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).
The decision on the petitions filed against the arrest of PTI employees under the MPO was made by Justice Safdar Saleem Shahid of the LHC.
The court has ordered the government to free those detained in Lahore, Wazirabad, Jhang, Sheikhupura, Hafizabad, Sialkot, and other provincial cities after ruling that the detention of political leaders and activists, including PTI’s Dr. Yasmin Rashid, is invalid.
The ruling states that the unpleasant and unexpected events of May 9 under the influence of an uncontrollable crowd “have defaced the peaceful and democratic image of the country and it was the responsibility of the government to arrange for law and order, but not in a way as resorted on the fateful time.”
Justice Shahid described the responses that were seen on May 9 after the arrest of a political figure as terrible. He said that the administration carelessly authorised the imprisonment of several individuals due to the unrest on May 9.
He said the directives of the deputy commissioners were unconstitutional and that there was time enough to arrest persons on criminal charges if the government had proof.