LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday directed the caretaker Punjab government to decide without a delay an application of fashion designer Khadija Shah against her 30-day preventive detention ordered by the deputy commissioner (DC).

Justice Ali Baqar Najafi passed the order hearing a petition by the husband of Ms Shah, an activist of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and fashion designer.

A provincial law officer told the court that the petitioner’s counsel had a meeting with the additional secretary (home), who sent his report to the caretaker chief minister for a final decision.

The petitioner’s counsel pointed out that the court had ordered the additional secretary to decide the application on the same day of the meeting.

The judge directed the law officer to ensure a quick decision on the application.

The DC had issued the detention order under section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) apparently to frustrate the release of the activist following bail in all four cases relating to the May 9 riots registered against her.

The DC alleged that Ms Shah, also a granddaughter of former army chief Asif Nawaz Janjua, was found involved in ‘criminal activities’ during the investigation of the cases filed against her.

Jahanzeb Amin, the husband of Ms Shah, pleaded in the petition that the detention order was unlawful and based on mala fide intention. It pointed out that the police previously implicated the petitioner’s wife in a new case every time a court granted her bail.

It asked the court to declare the detention order illegal and directed the government to set the activist free.

An anti-terrorism court on Nov 15 granted post-arrest bail to Ms Shah in the fourth case of the May 9 riots against her.

Sarwar Road police had re-arrested Ms Shah in the case of torching police vehicles outside Rahat Bakery Chowk in Cantonment area after the LHC granted her bail in two previous cases of attacks on the Jinnah House and Askari Tower.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had also arrested her in a cyber crime case of posting social media messages to incite people against the army during the May 9 violence.

However, a sessions court had allowed her bail in the case.

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2023