GWADAR: Haq Do Movement (HDT) chief Maulana Hidayatur Rehman has finally been released, over four months after he had been arrested on court premises on murder charges.

While the Supreme Court granted him bail against surety bonds of Rs300,000 on May 18, he could not be released, rather a sessions court in Gwadar a day earlier sent him to judicial lockup after his court appearance.

On the occasion, the Maulana, who is also a local leader of the Jamaat-i-Islami, told reporters that the apex court order did not reach the sessions court despite the passage of five days.

He also claimed he had told his lawyer not to submit any further petition. “I am a political activist. I believe in the constitution and the law. I have been in jail for four and a half months in a false case of murder.”

After his release, the HDT leader thanked the JI emir, lawyers Abdul Haq Hashmi, Lashkari Raisani, Humayun Kurd, and others for their efforts for his release.

“The struggle for rights will continue in the future,” he vowed.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2023