LAHORE, July 2: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday directed police to refrain from harassing PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif’s spokesman Farrukh Shah on his petition against police high-ups and the provincial chief minister, accusing them of harassing him and his family.

The petitioner had alleged that on June 30 heavy police contingent, including women police officials, raided his residence but they could not find him after which the respondents misbehaved with his elder brother Khalid Shah and the female households. The petition alleged Mr Khalid was illegally confined by the policemen who besieged his house for 24 hours.

MERAJ: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the additional advocate-general on a habeas corpus petition filed for the recovery of PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif’s brother-in-law Mian Illyas Meraj from the alleged illegal confinement.

AAG Bilal Khan was directed to update the court on Thursday with regard to the latest situation. The petition was filed by Mr Meraj’s nephew Waqas Riaz, alleging that his uncle was in the illegal detention since June 29 and his whereabouts were not known to his family. The Punjab IGP, the Lahore SSP and both the federal and the provincial governments were made respondents in the petition.

Petitioner’s counsel Mansoor Ali Shah said that he would not press the petition in the court on Thursday as his client had been released and the petition had become infructurous. Allegedly, Mr Meraj was taken into custody by the police from 178-H Model Town as the latter raided the house in search of Shahbaz Sharif’s family members who were deported on Tuesday.