Despite release orders by the Supreme Court issued on May 18, Gwadar rights movement Haq Do Tehreek leader Maulana Hidayat ur Rehman, who was arrested from the premises of a Gwadar court over three months ago, remains in jail.
Haq Do Tehreek (HDT) is a protest movement against the government with issues comprising illegal trawling in Gwadar’s water, a high number of security checkpoints, and trade on the Pak-Iran border among others.
Rehman was arrested from outside a Gwadar court where he had appeared for a case related to killing of a policeman in January.
The HDT leader challenged his arrest from the court premises following the Supreme Court’s verdict in former prime minister Imran Khan’s case, who had challenged his arrest from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan was arrested from the IHC by rangers on May 9 over corruption charges. The Supreme Court had declared the arrest from the court’s premises unlawful.
On May 18, the Supreme Court approved the bail of Maulana Hidayat Ur Rehman and ordered his release.
However, the Gwadar rights movement leader is still in jail, despite his release orders.
Several charges were brought up against Rehman after talks between the HDT’s leaders and the military commanders in Balochistan failed over the protest demonstrations organised by the movement demanding basic rights.
Rehman had had 19 cases related to vandalism and other offenses registered against him, but was later granted bail by a sessions court in Gwadar in all cases, except one related to the killing of a policeman, during one of the protest demonstrations organised by the HDT.
