LAHORE, May 10: The Lahore High Court on Monday ordered the release of PML-N MPA Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan on bail. Justice Shaikh Rashid Ahmad took up the petition, filed by MPA's brother Rana Asadullah Khan, as a habeas corpus plea.

But when the Punjab government informed the court that the MPA had been taken into custody after the notification of his detention for 90 days under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960, the court allowed petitioner's counsel to amend the petition into a plea for the quashment of the notification.

Rana Mashhood, also a practising lawyer and a former secretary of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, was arrested on May 7 hour after the court, in a decision on a writ petition by him, had restrained the Punjab government from harassing the legislator.

The MPA's brother moved a habeas corpus petition through Azam Nazir Tarar, also the LHCBA secretary, and the court issued a notice to the provincial government for Monday. The court, upon hearing an additional advocate-general, ordered his release on bail, suspending the detention order.

BARJEES TAHIR: Justice Mohammad Bilal fixed for Tuesday the bail petition on behalf of former PML-N MNA Barjees Tahir who has also been detained by the Punjab government for 90 days under Section 3 of the MPO.

The court issued a notice to the provincial government for submitting a report on former MNA's detention.

YAWAR ZAMAN: Former PML-N MPA Mian Yawar Zaman also filed a petition challenging his detention under Section 3 of the MPO. The petition, submitted through Advocate Naseer Ahmad Bhutta, says the notification, issued for the former MPA's detention for a period of 90 days, presented no reasons for restricting his liberty and the notification issued to the effect was based on mere conjectures.