Amid high drama, ex-Pak foreign minister Qureshi arrested after being released from jail in Pakistan

Lahore: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party's vice chairman and a close aide of former prime minister Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi was on Wednesday manhandled by police as they re-arrested him outside a jail in Rawalpindi, a step termed “illegal” by him and his party.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) released a video on X where Qureshi, who was granted bail in the cipher case by the Supreme Court last week, is seen being pushed and shoved by policemen after he was picked up right at the gate of the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi and packed off into an armoured police vehicle.

The footage of the incident also aired on multiple television and social media channels showed the 67-year-old former foreign minister, clad in a cardigan and a shalwar kameez, loudly protesting the “illegality” of the police’s actions, being shoved into an armoured police vehicle by officials wearing the Punjab police uniform.

“This treatment of an internationally respected senior politician with unparalleled service to Pakistan is a sign of the cowardice of the ruling elite. The law has been made a mockery and the basic constitutional rights of citizens are being blatantly violated,” the party’s post on X read.

The post further read, “Pakistani people will never forget this cruelty and injustice.”

Qureshi was released from jail on bail after the Rawalpindi DC withdrew an order for detaining the ex-former foreign minister for 15 days under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) and added that police had not yet provided an official comment on the incident.

The PTI shared another video on Instagram that showed Qureshi attempting to speak to police personnel gathered outside the jail while he remained inside its premises.

“However, an official wearing the Punjab police uniform refused to listen and proceeded to shove Qureshi out the gate and toward an armoured police vehicle,” Dawn.com reported from the video footage.

“Look at this. What is this?” Qureshi said as he was pushed the entire way to the van while the crowd yelled at officials to be careful.

On Friday, the top court granted bail to Khan and Qureshi in the cipher case and demanded to submit surety bonds worth Rs 1 million each.

Qureshi’s family on Tuesday had arrived at Adiala jail to pay his surety bond, but before they could obtain the robkar (release order), Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Hassan Waqar Cheema issued the order for the former foreign minister’s 15-day detention under MPO.

Section 3 of MPO empowers the government to arrest and detain suspected persons to prevent them from "acting in any manner prejudicial to public safety or the maintenance of public order."

“However, a subsequent notification issued by the DC said that the detention order had been withdrawn,” Dawn.com further said and claimed it had a copy of it, adding "The detainee shall be released from the jail forthwith if he is not required to be detained in any other case.”

Speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said, “If the Supreme Court granted bail to Qureshi on the basis that elections need to be free and fair and transparent, then the ECP needs to make sure he is released.”

Gohar Khan said that the party would approach the election commission and also the high court if necessary. “I also told the ECP that it would have been very good if they personally went out today and surveyed what was happening in various locations,” Gohar said, adding that he would nonetheless submit an application to them.

Both Khan and Qureshi have been incarcerated in multiple cases.