Rashid embarks on another Adiala sojourn

Pindi ATC grants 14-day judicial remand of former security czar

RAWALPINDI:

A Special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Wednesday sent Awami Muslim League (AML) chief and former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad on a 14-day judicial remand to Adiala Jail.

Judge Malik Ijaz Asif rejected the plea of the police prosecutors for a 30-day physical remand of Rashid in the May 9 attacks and burning down of an intelligence agency’s office. The court also ordered the accused to appear on January 31.

The bail pleas of the former interior minister will be filed on Thursday (today). Rashid was arrested by the police from the court in the May 9 case soon after his bail was rejected on Tuesday.

Police produced Sheikh Rasheed in the court amid tight security on Wednesday. The public prosecutor requested the judge to give physical remand of the accused for one month, saying the accused delivered speeches to incite the citizens. The prosecutor said the accused had to be taken to Lahore’s Forensic Laboratory to undergo polygraphic and voice matching tests and investigate who else was involved in this.

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The court inquired about the speeches upon which the prosecutors replied that those were safe in the Malkhana (Treasury) of the New Town police station. The court sought the USB of the said speeches. Half an hour later, the USB was produced in the court. The speech, which was played in the courtroom, was from a social media conversation that had nothing to do with the May 9 tragedy and, according to records, was six months to a year old.

Defence lawyer Sardar Raziq said that the pieces of dozens of speeches were put together and there was no connection between them and nothing was mentioned regarding May 9 in any place.

The court inquired if was there any other evidence. The investigation team said that the investigation was yet to be done. The judge grilled the investigators for not quizzing the accused during custody.

Prosecutor Haseeb Sultan Advocate pleaded that the investigation would establish whether there was a crime. The defence counsel argued that that was a political and revenge-based case.

After hearing the arguments of the parties, the court dismissed the plea for physical remand and sent Rashid to Adiala Jail on judicial remand.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2024.