LAHORE: A provincial review board comprising judges of the Lahore High Court on Friday turned down a request of the Punjab home department to extend detention of Saad Rizvi, a leader of the proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).

Police produced Rizvi before the three-member board amid strict security arrangements.

Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan headed the board with Justice Aalia Neelum and Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan.

During an in-camera proceedings, an official of the home department presented a record of the cases against Rizvi and requested the board to extend his detention for another 30 days.

Advocate Burhan Moazam Malik represented Rizvi and opposed the government’s request. After going through the record, the board dismissed the government’s plea to extend detention of the TLP chief. The detention of Rizvi is likely to end on July 10.

The deputy commissioner of Lahore had issued the detention order of Rizvi on April 12, 2021 under section 3 of Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance 1960 on the recommendation of a district intelligence committee. The committee had stated that the presence of Rizvi at any public place would pose grave threat to the public safety and his activities would give rise to a situation prejudicial to public safety.

The detention of Rizvi had come after his organisation staged sit-ins across the country demanding the government to expel the ambassador of France in the wake of blasphemous caricatures. The protesters had turned violent and attacked the police personnel.

Dozens of TLP workers were arrested besides the detention of Rizvi.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2021