14-day judicial remand: Sent to the farm
Chak Shahzad residence declared sub-jail for former army chief.
Pervez Musharraf escorted by security officials as he leaves the anti-terrorism court. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD JAVAID / EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
After spending 24 hours incarcerated in a barrack in the police headquarters, Musharraf was produced before ATC Judge Kausar Abbas Zaidi by the police. Once there, the Secretariat police requested that the former president be placed in judicial remand as he had recorded his statement and did not need to be interrogated any further. At this point Chaudhry Ashraf Gujjar, the lawyer for the petitioner, demanded the court send him on physical remand but, after reserving the judgment for a brief period of time, the judge directed the police to send Musharraf to jail on a 14-day judicial remand and to produce him before the court on May 4.
The Secretariat police then asked the city administration to declare Musharraf’s farmhouse in Chak Shahzad a sub-jail so that he could be shifted there and not held at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail where ‘terror suspects’ normally end up.
On Friday, the judicial magistrate had ordered the police to include terrorism charges in the FIR, as directed by the Islamabad High Court.
The chief commissioner, however, refused to accept the police’s request.
“The police just verbally asked [him] to declare the farmhouse a sub-jail without giving any reasons. The chief commissioner asked the police to properly file an application explaining why Musharraf should not be sent to jail,” said a city administration officer privy to the proceedings.
The police then cited intelligence reports indicating serious threats to the former president’s life and main tained that keeping Musharraf in jail could be ‘risky’. With this, the chief commissioner accepted the police’s plea and issued a notification declaring Musharraf’s residence a sub-jail.
Certainly, security forces were taking no chances; hours prior to his arrival at the court, police and rangers locked down the entire F-8 Markaz area. His departure from the courtroom was also under heavy security, with police commandoes escorting his bulletproof vehicle all the way to his sub-jail farmhouse, where a special security protocol was already in place.
On the orders of the chief commissioner, jail staff was also deployed at Musharraf’s farmhouse. “No one, including his party workers or family, is allowed to meet him. He is barred from moving around or going out of the house,” the order said.
A clash at the court
But while his arrival and departure went off without a hitch, he did leave chaos in his wake at the courtroom.
The sight of an un-handcuffed Musharraf leaving the courtroom and saluting to his supporters was too much to take for the crowd of angry lawyers that had gathered outside. They started chanting slogans against him before venting their anger not only at Musharraf’s supporters, but also the police. Shouting out loud that Musharraf was a ‘terror suspect’ Sheraz Janjua and his lawyer colleagues chanted slogans against the police for not handcuffing Musharraf. They then came to blows with Musharraf’s supporters and party workers.
“One Jamshed Hilbi and Bruce Bhatti suffered injuries as they were beaten really badly by the lawyers,” said a Margalla police official. Later, the rival groups approached the Margalla police to register FIRs against each other.
The police registered their complaints and sent Musharraf’s party workers for medical examination, “after which it would be decided if an FIR should be registered,” said Station House Officer Margalla police station.
A question of terror
Meanwhile, a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was formed on the orders of the chief commissioner to probe the judges’ detention case against Musharraf. The team comprising of police, Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) officials was formed on the recommendations of Islamabad’s deputy commissioner following a request by the police. Superintendent of Police (SP) City Capt (retd) Muhammad Illyas will head the JIT.
“It is a standard procedure in all terrorism cases that a JIT is formed and it includes the two security agencies as well as the police,” said an official from the chief commissioner’s office.
The team will investigate former president Musharraf on charges of terrorism after IHC judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui on Thursday directed the secretariat police to incorporate 7-ATA (Anti-Terrorism Act) in an FIR against Musharraf in the judges’ detention case.
“Stopping judges from working is also a form of terrorism,” the IHC had observed. The team will question Musharraf over the charges and will also analyse his statement to the police in which he denied detaining the judges.
On Friday, Musharraf made a statement to the police that he had passed no such orders. He claimed the orders, if any, would have been issued by the then government and the city administration, who he demanded should also be made part of the investigations.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 21st, 2013.
“Handcuff him!” That was the cry raised by angry lawyers as former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf was led out of the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday afternoon.
After spending 24 hours incarcerated in a barrack in the police headquarters, Musharraf was produced before ATC Judge Kausar Abbas Zaidi by the police. Once there, the Secretariat police requested that the former president be placed in judicial remand as he had recorded his statement and did not need to be interrogated any further. At this point Chaudhry Ashraf Gujjar, the lawyer for the petitioner, demanded the court send him on physical remand but, after reserving the judgment for a brief period of time, the judge directed the police to send Musharraf to jail on a 14-day judicial remand and to produce him before the court on May 4.
The Secretariat police then asked the city administration to declare Musharraf’s farmhouse in Chak Shahzad a sub-jail so that he could be shifted there and not held at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail where ‘terror suspects’ normally end up.
On Friday, the judicial magistrate had ordered the police to include terrorism charges in the FIR, as directed by the Islamabad High Court.
The chief commissioner, however, refused to accept the police’s request.
“The police just verbally asked [him] to declare the farmhouse a sub-jail without giving any reasons. The chief commissioner asked the police to properly file an application explaining why Musharraf should not be sent to jail,” said a city administration officer privy to the proceedings.
The police then cited intelligence reports indicating serious threats to the former president’s life and main tained that keeping Musharraf in jail could be ‘risky’. With this, the chief commissioner accepted the police’s plea and issued a notification declaring Musharraf’s residence a sub-jail.
Certainly, security forces were taking no chances; hours prior to his arrival at the court, police and rangers locked down the entire F-8 Markaz area. His departure from the courtroom was also under heavy security, with police commandoes escorting his bulletproof vehicle all the way to his sub-jail farmhouse, where a special security protocol was already in place.
On the orders of the chief commissioner, jail staff was also deployed at Musharraf’s farmhouse. “No one, including his party workers or family, is allowed to meet him. He is barred from moving around or going out of the house,” the order said.
A clash at the court
But while his arrival and departure went off without a hitch, he did leave chaos in his wake at the courtroom.
The sight of an un-handcuffed Musharraf leaving the courtroom and saluting to his supporters was too much to take for the crowd of angry lawyers that had gathered outside. They started chanting slogans against him before venting their anger not only at Musharraf’s supporters, but also the police. Shouting out loud that Musharraf was a ‘terror suspect’ Sheraz Janjua and his lawyer colleagues chanted slogans against the police for not handcuffing Musharraf. They then came to blows with Musharraf’s supporters and party workers.
“One Jamshed Hilbi and Bruce Bhatti suffered injuries as they were beaten really badly by the lawyers,” said a Margalla police official. Later, the rival groups approached the Margalla police to register FIRs against each other.
The police registered their complaints and sent Musharraf’s party workers for medical examination, “after which it would be decided if an FIR should be registered,” said Station House Officer Margalla police station.
A question of terror
Meanwhile, a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was formed on the orders of the chief commissioner to probe the judges’ detention case against Musharraf. The team comprising of police, Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) officials was formed on the recommendations of Islamabad’s deputy commissioner following a request by the police. Superintendent of Police (SP) City Capt (retd) Muhammad Illyas will head the JIT.
“It is a standard procedure in all terrorism cases that a JIT is formed and it includes the two security agencies as well as the police,” said an official from the chief commissioner’s office.
The team will investigate former president Musharraf on charges of terrorism after IHC judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui on Thursday directed the secretariat police to incorporate 7-ATA (Anti-Terrorism Act) in an FIR against Musharraf in the judges’ detention case.
“Stopping judges from working is also a form of terrorism,” the IHC had observed. The team will question Musharraf over the charges and will also analyse his statement to the police in which he denied detaining the judges.
On Friday, Musharraf made a statement to the police that he had passed no such orders. He claimed the orders, if any, would have been issued by the then government and the city administration, who he demanded should also be made part of the investigations.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 21st, 2013.