The Islamabad High Court (IHC) received information from the Rawalpindi Chief Police Officer (CPO) that Sheikh Rashid, the chief of the Awami Muslim League and an ally of the PTI, was arrested within Islamabad’s limits, and the Rawalpindi Police had no knowledge of the matter. The case in question pertains to the disappearance of Sheikh Rashid, his nephew, and his employee, and it was taken up by the Rawalpindi bench of the IHC.
The bench rejected the CPO’s report and summoned the Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer Khurram Ali for a hearing on September 26. During the hearing, Justice Khan expressed astonishment that a former minister and two others could go missing in the city without the police’s knowledge.
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In a separate matter, Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal of the same court declined the request to immediately unseal Sheikh Rashid’s residence, known as Lal Haveli. Instead, the court scheduled a hearing for September 26 and summoned the Punjab Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) chairperson and the Rawalpindi deputy administrator, instructing them to provide their respective reports on the matter. The petitioner was directed to await the reports of these departments before seeking further action.
Sheikh Rashid, a former federal interior minister during the tenure of ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan, was reportedly detained along with three others during a raid at his home on the outskirts of Islamabad. The arrest, carried out by purported Rawalpindi Police personnel and plainclothes officials, was followed by contradictory statements from the police and Rashid’s lawyer. Subsequently, Punjab ETPB sealed Lal Haveli, Sheikh Rashid’s residence, amid a heavy security presence, claiming it was done based on the Supreme Court’s orders.
The case involves the disappearance of Sheikh Rashid, his nephew, and his employee, as well as the sealing of Lal Haveli by the Punjab ETPB.
