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The government took the step to relocate Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi to Kot Lakhpath Jail in Lahore, Dawn reported.
This move follows the Islamabad High Court's directive to the interior secretary to determine whether the former Punjab chief minister's residence could be declared a sub-jail and if he could be shifted there. Justice Arbab Mohammad Tahir presided over the petition filed by Elahi's spouse, who argued for his detention at their residence citing health concerns, as reported by Dawn. A medical board, tasked with assessing Elahi's health, recommended that he remain in Rawalpindi prison and avoid travel. In response to her husband's relocation to the jail, Qaisara Elahi expressed discontent, stating, "The interior secretary didn't follow Islamabad High Court's order and shifted Parvez Elahi from Islamabad territory to Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail." "The Ministry of Interior's action contradicts the IHC's decision. Immediate compliance with the IHC's order is imperative," she emphasised. Previously, in letters addressed to the interior secretary and Punjab's additional chief secretary home, Elahi requested, "In view of his peculiar health condition, injuries, and on humanitarian grounds, my husband, Parvez Elahi, be taken out of jail premises and put under house arrest at Islamabad or Lahore". The court observed that Elahi is not a convict and emphasized that an under-trial prisoner's right to life, as guaranteed by the Constitution, takes precedence over the state's obligation to prosecute him for an alleged offence. The interior secretary was directed to review the petitioner's application and issue appropriate orders within his jurisdiction within two days; otherwise, the matter would be referred to the appropriate forum, Dawn reported. (ANI)
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