The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued a directive to authorities to produce Fawad Chaudhry, the Vice President of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and former federal minister, on Tuesday, according to an ARY News report. The court’s decision came in response to a plea challenging Chaudhry’s arrest for his role as the former Minister for Information and Broadcasting, with IHC Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb presiding over the case.
During the proceedings, Faisal Chaudhry, representing the petitioner, argued that the IHC had explicitly prohibited the arrest of the former minister. However, despite the court’s order, Chaudhry was taken into custody by the Islamabad police. Faisal Chaudhry further emphasized that the Inspector General of Islamabad was present in the court when the directive to refrain from arresting the PTI leader was issued, asserting that the police had violated the court’s instructions.
After carefully considering the arguments put forth by the petitioner’s counsel, the IHC judge ordered the authorities to present Fawad Chaudhry before the court on the following day.
Previously, on May 10, Fawad Chaudhry was arrested by police officials outside the premises of the Supreme Court (SC) under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Act, Section 16. Chaudhry had taken precautionary measures to avoid arrest by remaining inside the SC building since noon, but upon leaving late Wednesday night, he was promptly apprehended by the police.
In a press conference, Fawad Chaudhry expressed his disbelief at the situation, stating that it would mark the first time in history that a lawyer has been arrested. The developments surrounding his arrest have sparked controversy and drawn attention to the intersection of legal proceedings and political dynamics in Pakistan.