ISLAMABAD: Saad Rizvi, chief of the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) religious party, is expected to be released early next week after a high court approval of a petition against his prolonged detention, the TLP leader’s lawyer said on Saturday.
Rizvi was arrested in Lahore in April for threatening the government with rallies if it did not expel the French envoy to Islamabad over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) published in France last year.
Violent demonstrations by TLP supporters erupted in major cities after his arrest. Six policemen were killed and over 800 injured, according to official figures, in protests that lasted a week.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday approved a petition filed by Rizvi’s uncle against his continued detention under Pakistan’s antiterrorism laws.
“We are hopeful for Saad Rizvi’s release on Monday as the court’s written order will reach the relevant departments on first working day of the week,” Advocate Burhan Moazzam Malik, who represents Rizvi, told Arab News.
He said the court had declared the TLP leader’s detention illegal in its detailed judgment but a written order for the verdict’s implementation is awaited.
“The government failed to provide any plausible reason in the court to detain him under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997,” Malik said. “The right to protest is enshrined in the constitution.”
Rizvi has been detained at Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore, which is managed by the provincial government of Punjab. Punjab Prisons Minister Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan declined comment on the case.
TLP spokesperson Mohammad Ali said party members were expecting Rizvi to be free on Monday.
“We are a peaceful party, and we are sure our leader will be released on Monday as per the court verdict,” he told Arab News.
The party has built a wide base of support in recent years, rallying around cases of blasphemy, which are punishable by death in Pakistan.
It was banned following April’s protests.
Rizvi became the leader of TLP in November last year after the sudden death of his father, Khadim Hussein Rizvi.
Release of banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan chief expected next week — lawyer
https://arab.news/w5pt9
Release of banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan chief expected next week — lawyer
- Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday approved a petition filed by Rizvi’s uncle against his continued detention
- Saad Rizvi was arrested in Lahore in April for threatening the government with rallies if it did not expel the French envoy to Islamabad
Pakistan signals commitment to regulate digital assets in meeting with Binance leadership
- Binance delegation led by CEO Richard Teng meets Pakistan’s prime minister, army chief in Islamabad
- Pakistan has attempted to tap into growing crypto market to curb illicit transactions, improve oversight
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government has signaled its “strong commitment” to digital asset regulation as the country’s senior officials met the leadership of Binance, one of the world’s most prominent global cryptocurrency exchanges, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Saturday.
The Binance team, led by its Chief Executive Officer Richard Teng, is in Pakistan and has held meetings with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Chairman Bilal bin Saqib and senior Pakistani bank officials this week.
Pakistan has been attempting to regulate its fast-growing crypto and digital assets market by bringing virtual asset service providers (VASPs) under a formal licensing regime. Officials say the push is aimed at curbing illicit transactions, improving oversight and encouraging innovation in blockchain-based financial services.
“Binance senior leadership visits Pakistan as government signals strong commitment to digital asset regulation,” the PMO said.
A Binance delegation led by Teng met Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir in Islamabad.
Saqib also attended the meeting and gave the Binance team a briefing about his organization.
Pakistan has attempted in recent months to tap into the country’s growing crypto market, a move analysts say could bring an estimated $25 billion in virtual assets into the tax net.
In September, Islamabad invited international crypto exchanges and other VASPs to apply for licenses to operate in the country, a step aimed at formalizing and regulating its fast-growing digital market.
