LHC orders to de-seal Sheikh Rashid’s Lal Haveli

• LHC declares the decision to seal the haveli null and void.
• Rashid expresses his delight over the court’s decision.
• Says “40-day chilla” made him new “Sheikh Rashid”.

RAWALPINDI: In a victory for ex-interior minister Sheikh Rashid, the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi Bench Monday ordered the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) to de-seal Lal Haveli, the residence of Awami Muslim League (AML) chief.

The famous Lal Haveli, a historic building at Bohar Bazaar, is also the political office of the AML leader.

In the verdict, LHC Justice Justice Mirza Waqas Rauf declared the decision to seal the haveli null and void.

Last month, ETPB had sealed the Lal Haveli, saying that the documents submitted by Rashid were not valid. On September 21, the ETPB conducted the operation to evict the occupants in the presence of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and a heavy police contingent.

In a video statement, the AML chief’s nephew Sheikh Rashid Shafiq said the Haveli was registered in the name of Sheikh Siddique in 1988. He had said all records of the property have been submitted to the deputy commissioner Rawalpindi.

Rashid, however, moved the LHC against sealing his residence in Rawalpindi.

Talking to journalists on the occasion, the AML expressed his delight over the court’s decision.

Responding to a question, the former interior minister said that the “40-days in chilla (isolation)” made him a new “Sheikh Rashid”.

A close aide of deposed prime minister Imran Khan — who was removed from office via a no-confidence motion in April last year — was reportedly taken into custody by “plainclothed” men from his residence in Rawalpindi on September 17. Rashid resurfaced after a span of one month.

During the interaction with the journalists, the ex-interior minister said that he was not mistreated during the “chilla”.

He vowed to contest upcoming general elections in the country from two constituencies even if he would be sent to jail.

“We stand shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces of Pakistan,” he announced.