ISLAMABAD:The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday declared the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law “illegal” and ordered his release.

A single-member IHC bench comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb passed this order while hearing a petition challenging Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s arrest under Section 3 of the MPO.

The court directed the PTI leader to submit an undertaking similar to the one given by former state minister Ali Muhammad Khan. The lawyers for Qureshi informed the court that they would submit the undertaking after consulting their client.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi was among the top PTI leaders arrested from Islamabad on May 11, after the outbreak of violent protests by PTI workers following former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9.