Fawad remanded in police custody

Court orders authorities to present politician on Tuesday

ISLAMABAD:

A local court in Islamabad has remanded former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry in police custody for two days in a case involving alleged fraud worth Rs5 million.

On November 4, dozens of Islamabad Police personnel apprehended Fawad while he was having breakfast in a park adjacent to his residence.

The former PTI leader's wife, Hiba Chaudhry, later confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that her husband had been arrested, and his whereabouts were "unknown." Fawad's brother, Faisal Chaudhry, also confirmed the news.

In response to a plea filed against his arrest, Magistrate Ahmed Shehzad Gondal of the Kohsar police station had directed the police to submit a report regarding the matter.

On Sunday, the capital’s police presented the politician in the court of Duty Magistrate Abbas Shah amid heightened security. The prosecutor read out a First Information Report (FIR) registered against Fawad upon the request of a citizen named Zaheer.

The complainant alleged that he had given the former minister Rs5 million in the hope of securing a job. Still, Fawad not only failed to provide employment but also refused to refund the money.

The complainant further claimed that the politician used his armed guards to threaten him with dire consequences if he continued to press for the money's return.

The prosecutor requested the court to remand Fawad in custody for five days to facilitate the recovery of the money and weapons allegedly in Fawad's possession. Fawad's counsel opposed the request.

The duty magistrate later remanded Fawad to police custody for two days.

The court further directed the police to arrange a medical examination for Fawad both prior to and after his custody remand and instructed that he be brought to court on Tuesday, November 7, at 11am.

Fawad, once regarded as one of the hawks in the PTI, announced his departure from the former ruling party on May 24, just weeks after authorities initiated a heavy-handed crackdown against people, mostly PTI leaders, workers, and sympathizers who had allegedly committed acts of vandalism following the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan on May 9.

The former federal minister, who initially expressed his plan to take a break from politics during his May 24 news conference, was soon spotted in meetings of disgruntled PTI leaders who later announced the formation of a new party, the IPP.