Rashid sent on 10-day judicial remand

ISLAMABAD:

A local court in Islamabad on Saturday sent Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid on judicial remand and denied a police request for an extension in the former interior minister's physical remand.

An Islamabad court had granted police his two-day physical remand on Thursday for allegedly making defamatory remarks against PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

The court had reserved its decision on the prosecutor's request for extending the AML chief's physical remand.

Police brought the former minister – a staunch critic of the PDM government –before the court of Judicial Magistrate Umar Shabbir amid strict security, seeking another five-day physical remand along with a photogrammetric test.

Resuming the hearing, Judicial Magistrate Omar Shabbir ordered police to transfer the veteran politician to Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail.

The former minister alleged that the "police had tied his hands and feet" and asked the court to provide him with Rangers’ security. Criticising the police's treatment, he said it would be better if he was sentenced to death.

He demanded that he be sent to the hospital as there was “blood on my feet and hands”. “I won’t beg them but just get my hands bandaged. I was kept tied to chairs.”

The judge asked the AML chief to show the blood that he said was on his hands. He remarked that Rashid’s “hands do not have blood on them” to which Rashid explained that he had “wiped it off”.

The investigation officer informed the court that Rashid’s tests have been conducted. However, the photogrammetric test was yet to be done.

Opposing the request for physical remand, Rashid’s lawyer Sardar Abdul Razzaq argued the case was being framed on “political bases” and alleged that his client was tortured while in custody.

He said that the provisions imposed do not apply to his client.

He furthered that Rashid was “tortured at night”, adding that the police were given a two-day physical remand for investigation, but they “tortured” the former minister.

Razzaq added that an extension in physical remand was being sought to “make Rashid a target of political revenge”.

The lawyer then pleaded to discharge Rashid from the case.

The former minister’s second lawyer, Intezar Panjoota, then presented his arguments, saying that since the case was ongoing in the high court, an extension in physical remand cannot be given.

Opposing all three provisions imposed in the case against the AML chief, Panjoota argued that giving additional “physical remand of Sheikh Rashid will be illegal”.

“The prosecution should be asked about the progress in the investigation during the two-day physical remand,” demanded Panjoota.

The former interior minister was earlier arrested by the Islamabad police in a late-night raid on his residence in a private housing society for publicly accusing former president Asif Ali Zardari of hatching a plot to assassinate PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

On Thursday, an Islamabad court remanded him to two-day police custody following his late-night arrest.

Plea to transfer Rashid rejected

Meanwhile, in a related development, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) rejected the Sindh police's plea to transfer Sheikh Rashid to Sindh after cases were registered against him in Karachi and Murree.

The high court also rejected the police's request to send Rashid on remand.

The IHC also issued a notice regarding Rashid's bail plea and stated that the petition would be heard tomorrow.

Earlier, Rashid had moved the IHC to bar the police from shifting him to Karachi from the federal capital and to nullify the cases registered against him in the port city and Murree.

The petition stated that PTI chief Imran Khan had accused former president and PPP co-chair Asif Ali Zardari of conspiring to murder, which Rashid only referred to. It added that the plaintiff in the cases against him was not the victim.

The petition urged that cases should not be registered on the basis of political rhetoric and requested that the high court nullify the cases filed against Rashid in Abpara, Murree and Karachi or transfer them to Islamabad.

It further implored that the IHC should issue an order to stop Rashid’s transfer to Karachi until the final decision of the case.

Rashid named 11 respondents, including the inspector generals of Islamabad, Sindh and Punjab, as well as the interior secretary in the petition.

Read Court sends Sheikh Rashid on two-day physical remand

A case was registered against Rashid in Karachi for delivering "immoral” remarks against Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

According to sources, the case was registered at the Mochko police station by a PPP worker over the former minister's comments against the PPP chairman.The sources said a police team had been formed and would leave on Saturday to take the AML leader into custody, adding that he would be brought to Karachi.

FIR for ‘foul language’ against Bilawal

Meanwhile, a first information report (FIR) also registered earlier in the day against Sheikh Rashid at Hub police station. The FIR was lodged by PPP leader Ali Asghar against the AML chief for using foul language against foreign minister and party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Similarly, a former provincial lawmaker of the PTI, Shabbir Gujjar, was also booked on Saturday under terrorism charges.

According to the police, 12 provisions including terrorism have been added in the case filed against the PTI member.

The first information report (FIR) of the case stated that the former MPA and PTI member Khalid Gujjar used 'modern weapons including Kalashnikovs on policemen' during a raid.

It was also reported that the associates of the two leaders started pelting stones and vandalizing the official police vehicle.

Moreover, the FIR also claimed that the policemen were taken hostage inside the camp and the PTI members opened fire indiscriminately on Raiwand Road in Lahore.

Police sources reported that more personnel were called and seven people were arrested in connection with the firing incident, adding that Kalashnikovs and bullets were also seized from the camp.

The police have registered a case and have started the process to arrest the main accused.

Last year, several PTI leaders were booked on terrorism charges by Islamabad's police in the wake of protests following former premier Imran Khan's disqualification by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The cases were registered against PTI leaders Senator Faisal Javed, Aamir Kayani, Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi, Raja Rashid Hafeez, Umer Tanveer Butt, Rashid Naeem Abbasi and Raja Majid.

The FIR registered against the party members claimed the protesters had pelted stones at the police and FC officials, leading to many injuries.