'They' won't let you go until you hold press conference, IHC judge tells Asad Umer

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, while presiding over a hearing regarding the arrest of PTI Secretary General Asad Umer, remarked that “they will not let you go until you hold a press conference”.

The judge ordered the release of the former finance minister who had been arrested two weeks earlier under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance following the violent turn of event in the wake of arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

During the hearing, the IHC judge dropping hints that Asad Umer should do a press conference supposedly to announce his disassociation from the party, like many other leaders have already done including PTI stalwart Dr Shireen Mazari. However, Umar’s lawyer Babar Awan told the court that they would not “hold a press conference”.

“Asad Umar’s cases are in front of me. If I issue an order today, I don’t know what will happen tomorrow,” Justice Aurangzeb said. The court directed Umar to submit a declaration and to delete his incendiary tweets.