Move On chief’s remand extended

FAISALABAD: Judicial Magistrate Ali Raza on Friday extended physical remand of Mian Muhammad Kamran chairman of Move On Pakistan Party, for two days.

Kamran was arrested by Islamabad police on Wednesday and brought to Faisalabad. On Thursday, Kotwali police had brought to court and sought a two-week remand to interrogate him. The court had granted police two-day physical remand.

On Friday, police sought an extension for another 12 days.

The investigation team told the judge that Kamran was avoiding important questions regarding the case. They had said he did not want to reveal who was behind the move to launch a campaign urging the army chief to remain in his office after his tenure ended.

After hearing the arguments, the court granted a two-day extension of the remand and directed police to produce him in court on July 25.

Kotwali police, on a complaint moved by Amer Shahzad, a resident of Chiniot Bazaar, have registered a case against Kamran under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) including Section 120-B (punishment for conspiracy), 124-A (sedition) and 505 (ii) (statements conducing public to mischief).

Shahzad, the complainant, said Kamran had put up posters bearing the photograph of COAS General Raheel Sharif in Faisalabad and other cities, asking him not to leave office when his term ended.

A four-member police team is investigating the case.

A police official close to the investigation told The Express Tribune that Kamran had said he had spent at least Rs400,000 on posters in Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore and Faisalabad. He said Kamran had told them that he had spent Rs200,000 from his own pocket and the rest had been provided by the party.

“He claims to have over 70,000 members in his party,” he said.

He said Kamran had told the investigation team that his party page had more than 500,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook. He also told police that he had met General Pervez Musharraf in Dubai in 2013.

He said the meeting had been facilitated by a retired major general.

“After this, he says he met various political leaders to attain a ticket the general elections but was not any,” he said. He said Kamran had formed his own political party after this and had it registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 23^rd, 2016.