Shah Mahmood Qureshi was among the top PTI leaders arrested following the May 9 violence in Pakistan.
Islamic:
Former Pakistani Foreign Minister and Vice President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday was rested for a few minutes after being released from Adiala Prison in Rawalpindi, Pakistan-based Geo News news.
Party leader Musarrat Jamshed Cheema was also fired shortly after his release.
Qureshi while speaking outside the prison before being laid to rest, emphasized that he is still a part of PTI and will remain so.
The former minister was then taken by police to an unspecified location. His statement about staying in the party came hours after the party’s senior vice-president Shireen Mazari announced that she would be leaving PTI and leaving politics, according to Geo News.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) earlier on Tuesday ordered Qureshi’s release after he submitted a pledge asserting that he would not create incitement and incite workers.
Qureshi was among top PTI leaders arrested from Islamabad within 24 hours of the outbreak of violent PTI worker protests following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on May 9 in Al-Qadir Trust service, according to Geo News.
The former foreign minister was arrested by police during riots and arson in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
PTI leader before his arrest, encouraged party members to continue fighting for “real freedom” in the country. “As Pakistan’s foreign minister, I have defended Pakistan’s interests at every forum. I have been practically political for 40 years,” he said.
Qureshi added that he has no regrets and has not made any provocative statements that could lead to lawsuits. He is confident that PTI’s movement will reach its destination.
The IHC on May 18, canceled the arrest warrant for Qureshi and announced his release. However, the court did say that the release of the PTI leader would depend on him submitting a written pledge that he would not participate in violent protests and not incite any any form of violence in the future.
Many PTI leaders have been arrested after days of violent protests, including by regulation of the Public Order Maintenance Authority (MPO).
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
