Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan Chief Hafiz Saad Hussain Rizvi has sought adjournment from the Lahore High Court (LHC) on a petition challenging his detention amid progress in talks between his group and the government.
Rizvi made the request through an appeal filed by his counsel, Mian Pervaiz. The LHC bench was headed by Chief Justice (CJ) Mohammad Ameer Bhatti and included Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh.
“My client (Hafiz Saad Rizvi) wants adjournment of the case due to ongoing talks between his group and the PTI government,” said Pervaiz.
At this, Chief Justice Bhatti observed that the case hearing had nothing to do with the accord between both sides, as the court was more interested in the maintainability of the appeal that questioned the government’s act of keeping him under detention.
“The notification that was questioned by the TLP has already expired, so how could it be expected that the hearing of the case will continue,” the CJ observed.
“Fresh order for detention of Hafiz Saad Rizvi should have been challenged,” remarked Justice Sheikh.
The CJ remarked, “The high court has nothing to do with the accord but with the maintainability of the plea.”
To this, the petitioner’s counsel pleaded to the court that they needed more time for preparation and asked the bench for another adjournment. At this, the CJ put off the hearing to November 4 (tomorrow).
Rizvi’s uncle, Hussain had challenged his nephew’s detention, stating it to be a clear violation of court orders. The appellant said that the government had implicated Rizvi in 14 criminal cases after detaining him. The LHC had ordered his immediate release while the review had also turned down the Punjab government’s reference seeking extension in Rizvi’s detention.
The appellant also said that Rizvi was innocent and had nothing to do with the cases registered against him. He asked the court to order the Punjab government to immediately release his nephew.
A LHC single bench that included Justice Sheikh, on October 1, ordered the Punjab government to immediately release Rizvi and held that his detention was totally against the law. However, the provincial government challenged the release order.
The plea for adjournment came at the moment when the Punjab government decided to withdraw an appeal against Rizvi and released 860 TLP workers detained in the wake of the banned group’s protests and long march to Islamabad in the last two weeks.
