LHC suspends preventive detention of 123 PTI activists

The Lahore High Court (LHC) made a significant decision on Saturday by suspending the detention orders of 123 Pakistan Tehreek-iinsaf (PTI) workers from Faisalabad under the notorious Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law. The verdict came in response to a plea filed by former minister Farrukh Habib, seeking the recovery and release of the detained PTI workers. Justice Anwar ul-haq Pannu presided over the hearing and ordered the immediate release of the PTI workers while suspending their detention orders. In a related development, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) also suspended the detention orders of around 150 PTI leaders and workers in the province under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance. The bench, consisting of Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah, declared that the petitioners, if not required in any other cases, should be freed from different prisons. The court further stipulated that each petitioner should provide two surety bonds of Rs200,000 for their release. The arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on May 9 sparked violent clashes throughout Pakistan. Protests erupted in various cities, with party workers expressing their anger over their chairman’s arrest. Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad witnessed demonstrations, leading to calls for the armed forces to maintain law and order. During a protest by PTI workers, army installations and the Corps Commander’s house in Lahore came under attack.