February 02, 2008	Saturday	Muharram 23, 1429

LAHORE, Feb 1: Lahore High Court’s Justice Syed Shabbar Raza Rizvi has declared unlawful the Punjab government order of May 26, 2007, under which the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chairman was restrained from leaving the Lahore city for three days.

“When a person (not guilty of any crime) is directed to remain in a particular place or area and not allowed to move out from that area without permission of the authority, it amounts to illegal confinement,” the judge wrote while dismissing as infractous a petiton by PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

Khan had challenged the order under which he was restrained from leaving the Lahore city for three days. The petition came up for hearing before the judge on May 29, 2007 when he had sought reply from the Punjab home secretary.

The judge had directed on May 29 the Punjab additional advocate general to seek report from the home secretary till June 4. Then on June 4 the proceedings could not be held as the judge was on leave. Now when the petition finally came up for hearing on Jan 29 last, the additional advocate general said the restraining order had already expired and the petition could not be maintained.

Petitioner counsel Ahmad Awais insisted that despite expiry of impugned order the same should be declared unlawful. Justice Shabbar dismissed the petition by holding the petition was not maintainable. —Reporter