May 9 riots: Yasmin handed over to police on two-day physical remand

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Dr Yasmeen Rashid has been handed over to the police on a two-day physical remand by an anti-terrorism court in Lahore in a case related to the attack and arson at Askari Plaza in Lahore on May 9.

Meanwhile, the court has extended the former foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi's bail until June 27, Express News reported.

The hearing of the case against Yasmin was presided over by ATA judge Amber Gul Khan. The investigating officer stated that Yasmin is involved in the Askari Tower attack case and her physical remand is required for further investigation.

The court accepted the police's request and handed over the PTI leader to the police on a two-day physical remand. Dr Yasmin was in judicial remand in other cases.

Meanwhile, Lahore's ATC granted interim bail until June 27 to Shah Mahmood Qureshi in three cases related to the vandalism at Jinnah House and Gulberg Plaza.

Read more: Nine FIRs lodged against Qureshi, Punjab Police informs LHC

The court also ordered Qureshi to submit Rs100,000 as surety bond for each of the three cases. The cases against the former foreign minister are registered at Sarwar Road, Gulberg, and Race Course police stations.

Amid an ongoing crackdown against PTI activists, there was an unspoken ban by TV news channels on the party leaders in the wake of May 9 attacks on civil and military installations after the arrest of Imran Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court by dozens of Rangers personnel in connection with a corruption case.

The PTI vice chairman was arrested last month by the Islamabad police on various charges, including “inciting violent protests”, following the party chairman’s arrest on May 9.

The IHC had ordered Qureshi’s release on May 18, but it was delayed because of his “reluctance” to submit an undertaking to the court that he would not engage in “unruly” protests.

The PTI vice chairman was released on May 23, but re-arrested from outside Adiala Jail on the orders of the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner under the MPO.

At a time when several bigwigs of the PTI jumped ship in exchange for their release from jail, there are only a handful of its leaders, including Qureshi, Dr Yasmin and party president Parvez Elahi, who have decided to stick with Khan.

Several PTI leaders, including Pervez Khattak, Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry, Shireen Mazari, Imran Ismail, Ali Zaidi, Amir Kayani, Fayazul Hassan Chohan, Firdous Ashiq Awan, Maleeka Bokhari and Musarrat Cheema, distanced themselves from the party or its positions.