LAHORE – The deputy commissioner (DC) of the provincial capital Saturday issued an order for the release of Saad Hussain Rizvi, chief of the banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), local media reported.
DC has issued the release order in light of the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Oct 1 verdict in which it had declared the detention of Rizvi illegal.
Justice Tariq Saleem of the high court had also ordered the release of the TLP chief with immediate effect.
In its order, the deputy commissioner referred to the LHC’s October 1 verdict, saying that he was allowing the release of the TLP chief with immediate effect.
The DC also referred to two earlier decisions of the Supreme Court’s federal review board regarding Rizvi’s incarceration.
In today’s hearing, SC board took up the Punjab government’s plea seeking extension in detention of Rizvi and questioned on what grounds the extension had been sought when the LHC had already declared Rizvi’s detention illegal.
Later, the Punjab government withdrew it petition.
Rizvi’s uncle had filed a petition in the LHC after the DC extended Rizvi’s detention despite LHC’s July 10 ruling.
The petitioner had claimed that extension had been made with “mala fide intention”. He said that the government had nominated the TLP chief in 14 criminal cases after detaining him.
He had asked the court to declare the act of the government illegal and order the release of his nephew.
Saad Rizvi was arrested in April after he announced a protest on 20th of the month to press the government for expulsion of the French ambassador over blasphemous caricatures published in France.
The federal government that month declared the TLP a banned outfit and booked Saad under anti-terrorism laws.
The action was the outcome of days of violent protests and traffic disruptions in various cities of the country by TLP supporters.
Read more: https://pakobserver.net/police-arrest-tlp-chairperson-saad-hussain-rizvi-in-lahore/
