Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party worker Sanam Javed walks free after the court declares her arrest ‘illegal’.
Prominent activist Sanam Javed was finally released on Thursday after an Islamabad court declared her arrest “illegal” and allowed her to move to her home in Punjab province. , his lawyer confirmed.
On 9 May 2023, Imran Khan’s arrest in a corruption case saw hundreds of his supporters reportedly take to the streets across the country, looting the army and other property. Thousands of people, including Sanam Javed, were arrested and some tried in military courts after authorities promised to bring those responsible for the violence to justice.
Sanam Javed has been detained for more than a year, facing charges in a dozen cases since the May 9, 2023 riots.
Thursday’s decision by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) follows the relief Sanam Javed got on Monday when the high court ordered his release. and directed the police and other law enforcement agencies not to arrest him again.
“The IHC has declared Sanam Javed’s arrest illegal and has barred him from being re-arrested in any case filed till today (July 18),” said his lawyer Ali Ashfaq. told Arab News.
Balochistan police this week sought Sanam Javed’s arrest in a similar case filed last year after his father, Javed Iqbal Khan, filed an application at the IHC challenging the legality of his detention. was challenged.
In his judgment, Justice Gul Hasan Aurangzeb said that the Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) had assured the court that “Sanam Javed will not be arrested under any circumstances” and that the Balochistan Police would not transfer Sanam Javed to Balochistan. Therefore, she will not make her request before the court of Islamabad.
The judgment also said that Sanam Javed is free to go to his home in Punjab. However, Justice Aurangzeb cautioned PTI activists that they should exercise extreme caution and discretion in their social media statements.
Ashfaq said Sanam Javed was arrested in 12 different cases, 11 of which were registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Seven of them were registered in Lahore, three in Sargodha and one in Gujranwala.
He said that the court also questioned the legality of multiple police cases based on the same allegation at different places.
He said that on July 15, the court ordered that he should not be removed from the jurisdiction of Islamabad and should not be arrested in any other case.
Mian Ali Ashfaq said the court has asked the AGP to appear in person and justify that whatever was done was in accordance with the law.
Sanam’s Lawyer Mian Ashfaq added, “Today, I received a message from the Attorney General about half an hour before the court session and met him in his office, where he assured me that Sanam Javed would be able to resolve the issue.” She will not be arrested anywhere in Pakistan’.
He said that the authorities have assured him that the police cases against Sanam Javed in Islamabad and Balochistan will be dropped.
“While four police cases have been dismissed, in eight other cases Sanam is on bail and we will face trial in the respective courts,” Sanam’s Lawyer Ashfaq said.
Politically motivated cases
The PTI says it faces mass arrests of its members for standing with Imran Khan, who has been in jail since August last year. Pakistani authorities deny these allegations.
Last week, Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were arrested by Pakistani authorities in a case related to the illegal sale of government gifts, after a court upheld their appeals against a ruling and ordered their immediate release.
Ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan and his wife were sentenced to seven years in prison and fined in February by a court that declared their 2018 marriage illegal. Bushra was accused of not completing the Islamic period of “iddah, known as “iddah”, after divorcing her ex-husband and marrying Imran Khan.
The former prime minister has been in jail since last August after being convicted in four cases. Since then, two cases were suspended and he was acquitted in the third, so the Idaat case was the only one that would keep him in prison.
Imran Khan, arguably Pakistan’s most popular politician, says the cases against him are “politically motivated”, aimed at preventing him from returning to power. Pakistani authorities deny this.