Physical remand for PTI leaders in Islamabad rally case

ISLAMABAD:

A day after the government began punishing PTI leaders for a power show, six party lawmakers were among more than 30 people remanded in custody on Tuesday under a new law restricting protests.

An anti-terrorism court approved an eight-day physical remand for PTI leaders Sher Afzal Marwat, Aamir Dogar, Zain Qureshi, Naseem Shah, Ahmed Chattha, and others in connection with the Sangjani police station case.

Meanwhile, the court rejected the physical remand request for Advocate Shoaib Shaheen, sending him instead to judicial custody.

In a separate development, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur reached Peshawar on Tuesday after being "unreachable" by his fellow party members for hours.

Further, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan - who had been arrested a day earlier - was released on Tuesday evening.

The development after thousands of supporters of the party gathered in the capital Islamabad on Sunday for a rally that was broken up with tear gas.

Islamabad police had arrested PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar and MNAs including Sher Afzal Marwat outside Parliament House following a National Assembly session in the early hours of Tuesday.

Islamabad police presented Shoaib Shaheen and other arrested workers, charged under terrorism provisions, before Judge Abul Hasnaat Zulqarnain of the ATC.

The lawmakers appeared at an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad where the judge remanded them in custody for eight days.

The PTI leaders are accused of violating the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024 – passed just last week.

In total 34 people were named on the charge sheet as having been remanded in custody.

PTI leader and senior lawyer Muhammad Shoaib Shaheen, who appeared in court alongside the MPs, faced a police complaint about an "attack on officials", "armed riots" and "illegal assembly" after Sunday's rally and was also remanded in custody.

"I was picked up from my office around 7:30 pm," he said at the court.

"These small obstacles won't hold us back. We are the soldiers of Imran Khan, and we stand with him," he said.

Several of the group were rounded up by police as they left the National Assembly building in the capital on Monday night, PTI's media team said.

Gohar Ali Khan, PTI chairman in Imran Khan's absence, was also taken away by police but later released, he told reporters.

"These are not the offences where you should charge people with terrorism legislation," he told the media.

During the hearing, prosecutor Raja Naveed requested a 15-day physical remand for the accused, stating that they used police equipment during the attack on police and that police kits were still to be recovered following their party's rally in Islamabad's Sangjani on Sunday.

Raja Naveed argued that while no recovery was directly tied to Shaheen, "everything was done under his instructions," which warranted the remand request.

Shaheen's lawyers opposed this, urging the court to discharge him from the case.

When asked, the court was informed that around 60 to 70 individuals had been arrested.

After hearing the arguments, the court rejected the physical remand request for Shoaib Shaheen and ordered his transfer to jail on judicial remand.

Marwat questioned the legitimacy of the case, saying, "Does the police have a single witness? This FIR was filed this morning, and [PTI Chairman] Barrister Gohar Ali Khan was discharged on the same evidence we are being presented with here."

The court noted, "You had a Kalashnikov, he did not," to which Marwat responded, "You are fabricating this. I only had a pistol."

After reviewing the police's request, the court granted an 8-day physical remand for the five MNAs and three other suspects.

The court ordered their return for further proceedings after the remand period concluded.

Thousands of Imran's supporters turned out for Sunday's rally, the largest in the capital since the February elections when rival parties formed a coalition to keep PTI from power, despite the party winning the most seats.

It was the first demonstration since the government passed a new law regulating public gatherings, which it said would allow for peaceful assembly subject to reasonable restrictions.

However, rights groups say the law is a curb on freedom of expression and is part of a continued crackdown on peaceful protests.

City authorities gave permission for the demonstration to go ahead but it continued beyond the stipulated time and authorities used tear gas to disperse crowds. Authorities had earlier warned of legal action "for violation of the permission".

 

PTI leaders, 60 others booked in terrorism case

Similarly, police officials reported that at least three cases were filed against PTI supporters and leaders at Sangjani and Noon police stations following Sunday's rally.

One of the cases registered at the Noon police station involved "60-70 unidentified persons" alongside PTI Islamabad president Aamer Mughal, MNA Zubair, and Shaheen in a terrorism case for "attacking and injuring policemen," it emerged today.

The first information report (FIR) was filed on Sunday night based on the complaint of Additional Sub-inspector Tansar Iqbal.

The FIR invoked sections 324 (attempt to commit qatl-e-amd), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant), 341 (wrongful restraint), 440 (mischief committed after preparation made for causing death or hurt), 395 (dacoity), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence), and 109 (punishment of abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code, as well as section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

According to the FIR, a mob of 60-70 people "armed with canes, sharp stones, iron rods and with PTI flags in their hands" was led by Zubair and blocked the Tarnol Bridge.

The report added that when questioned by the police, the mob stated they had orders from Shaheen and Mughal to block the road and compel the police to vacate the area.

The mob assaulted the police with canes and stones, injuring six officers, who are now receiving treatment at a hospital, the FIR said. The mob also stole anti-riot gear from four policemen and vandalized a government vehicle.

The FIR noted that while the mob dispersed when the police used "ordinary teargas," three individuals identified as being "close to Aamer Mughal" - Saud Iftikhar, Mohammad Arif, and Mohammad Atif Gulzar - were singled out.

The complaint claimed that the mob's objective was to "achieve its political aim by spreading fear and terror among the public and the law enforcement agencies."