LAHORE:Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) president Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has been produced before a court in Lahore to get his remand in a corruption case. Mr. Elahi was brought to court in a n armored vehicle amid tight security while his family members, including son Rasikh Elahi, are present in the court.
The anti-corruption team has sought 14-day physical remand of the politician in order to interrogate him in the case. The judge will announce the decision after hearing arguments from both sides in the case. Talking to media outside the court, the PTI leader said he was innocent and “supporter of Pakistan Army”. In a message to the party workers, he asked them to stand firm and did not lose courage.
A team of the anti-corruption establishment (ACE), with the help of police, on Thursday arrested the PTI president outside his residence, Zahoor Elahi Palace, over graft charges, confirmed Punjab interim information minister Amir Mir. Mr. Mir said he had been arrested for receiving kickbacks in development projects, adding that he would be shifted to the anti-corruption headquarters shortly. “The area around his house had been cordoned off for last couple of days,” he added.
At first, he resisted but when the police tried to break his car’s driving side window, he came out of his car, he said. “Talks of human rights violations should be toned down because he is accused of corruption,” he added. “He will be treated in jails as other accused are treated,” he said. The arrest came as an anti-corruption court of Lahore had, earlier, rejected Mr. Elahi’s bail petition in a case of alleged corruption in development projects.
Mr. Elahi’s lawyer told the court that the former chief minister was suffering from chest pain and could not appear in court. The prosecution argued that the medical certificate submitted by Parvez Elahi’s counsel in court was fake. The court dismissed the interim bail plea of Parvez Elahi on the ground of non-compliance and also rejected the PTI leader’s request for an attendance waiver.