LAHORE, May 17: The Lahore High Court on Monday suspended the detention order of PML-N's former MNA Amanullah Niazi and ordered his release. Mr Niazi was put under detention by the home department under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960 , on May 11 to prevent him from going to the airport to receive Shahbaz Sharif.

The government opposed the petition but Justice Mohammad Bilal Khan held that Mr Niazi could not be treated different from others whose petitions were accepted and detention orders suspended.

Advocate Azam Nazir Tarar appeared on Mr Niazi's behalf. Meanwhile, Justice Bilal also suspended the detention orders of PML-N media adviser Nasir Khan and ordered his release.

Similar petitions by MNA Tehmina Daultana and former MNA Rana Barjees Tahir were rendered infructuous when the home department submitted that their detention orders had already been withdrawn.

The petitions were disposed of as such. The Lahore High Court will take up on Tuesday the petitions of Data Ganj Bakhsh Town Nazim Khwaja Ahmad Hassaan, MPAs Mehr Ishtiaq and Rao Jahanzeb Khan and PML-N activist Nasir Ahmad Nasri against their detention under the MPO.

The LHC registrar office objected that their petitions were not accompanied by certified copies of the detention orders. Later, the petitioners removed the objection and the high court issued notices to the home department on Monday. In a similar petition by MPA Malik Yawar Zaman, the high court issued a notice to the home department and fixed Tuesday for hearing of the petition.