The Lahore High Court (LHC) has granted bail to PTI President Parvez Elahi in a case related to an alleged illegal appointment made in the Punjab Assembly during his tenure as chief minister.
Elahi, who was initially taken into custody on June 1 last year, has faced multiple releases and re-arrests since then, remaining in detention. The legal battles coincided with the government’s crackdown on the PTI following violent protests on May 9 that targeted key government and military installations.
The specific case revolves around the alleged illegal appointment of Muhammad Khan Bhatti as the principal secretary to the chief minister during Elahi’s time as Punjab CM. However, despite being granted bail in this particular case, Elahi will not be released as he is still held in custody for other charges.
During the hearing presided over by Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhary, Elahi’s counsels, Advocate Amir Saeed Rawn and Farman Munis, argued that a judicial magistrate had discharged Bhatti from the case. They pointed out that the appointment notification for Bhatti was issued by the Punjab chief secretary before Elahi assumed office as CM. They further contended that the chief secretary had not been included as a respondent in the case, suggesting that the case was politically motivated. Consequently, the court granted Elahi bail against surety bonds worth Rs100,000.
The legal saga began with Elahi’s arrest on June 3 last year in connection with recruitments to the Punjab Assembly, where he was accused of manipulating testing service results to favor specific candidates. Subsequently, he was arrested on September 18 for allegedly making illegal appointments, leading to a judicial remand. In October, Elahi was granted a two-day physical remand, during which the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment claimed to have recovered Rs4.1 million from his residence. Although Bhatti was discharged from the case by a judicial magistrate, Elahi remained in jail due to other corruption charges. Despite subsequent bail denials, Elahi’s legal battles continue.
