Peshawar High Court orders release of 23 PTI workers held under 3 MPO

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has ordered the release of 23 more workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), arrested under 3 MPO, granting them interim relief.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Sahibzada Asadullah and Justice Inamullah heard the writ petition of 23 petitioners, including Akbar Sher, Shahzad, Razaullah, Saqib, Ehsanullah and Momin Khan. The petitioners’ lawyers, Yasir Khattak and Azhar Rahim Khan, appeared in court. So did Advocate General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sanaullah and the officials concerned.

According to the court order, at the last hearing a notice was issued to the Deputy Commissioner Mardan, asking him to explain why and in what circumstances these people were sent to jail. However, the parties have not yet submitted a report.

The bench held that, as no report had been received, there was no option but to grant relief on the existing record. The court said relief had been granted to petitioners in a similar case earlier as well.

The court ordered the release of each petitioner on two sureties of Rs100,000. The case will continue to be heard on merit. The Deputy Commissioner was directed to submit the report and record. The hearing was adjourned until 12 November.