A habeas corpus petition was filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking the recovery of dissident Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers allegedly detained in a local hotel.
PTI provincial minister Muhammad Sibtain Khan filed the petition and made Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shehbaz and the Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore respondents.
He said Uzma Kardar, PTI MPA on women’s seat, Ijaz Ogastan, MPA on a minority seat, MPA Sajida Yousaf and Ayesha Chaudhary were among the detainees.
The petitioner said that on March 7, 2022, a “foreign conspiracy” was hatched against the elected government after which a no-confidence-motion was moved against Imran Khan. “The situation was critical in Punjab as the members of the provincial assembly, who had gathered on April 3, 2022 at the Punjab Assembly in connection with the election of the Punjab chief minister, were attacked, manhandled and beaten up by opposition members and subsequently the session was adjourned till April 6, 2022,” he said.
“The PTI MPAs were on their way home after the session but they were kidnapped by Hamza Shehbaz,” he said, adding the whole episode was witnessed by their colleagues as well as the general public and the matter was reported in both electronic and print media. He said that it was an open secret that some of the detainees were kept in illegal custody of Hamza Shehbaz at a hotel in Gulberg. The petitioner said that the detainees were being harassed to vote against the party on whose ticket they were elected. “The life and liberty of detainees had been compromised and there was an apprehension they would be maltreated if not freed from the custody of Hamza Shehbaz.” Staff Report
