Under investigation: Police granted physical remand of MPA

FAISALABAD:

Anti-terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Ishtiaq Ahmad on Friday granted physical remand of Provincial Assembly Member Rana Shoaib Idrees and eight other men.

The MPA is accused of storming a police station in Khurarianwala, attacking and injuring police personnel, ransacking the office, and forcibly freeing two men in police custody.

Idrees, whose interim bail was not extended by the ATC on Thursday, was presented before the court for physical remand on Friday.

Prosecution sought seven days’ remand, saying police would require time to question the MPA and recover the weapons used on July 19.

The defence team opposed prosecution’s plea.

The counsel said Idrees represented over 200,000 people in Faisalabad. “A physical remand will undermine the dignity of public office,” he said.

The court, after hearing arguments, accepted the plea for the MPA’s physical remand.

The court also directed prosecution to complete investigation and submit a formal challan within 72 hours for the trial.

The suspects were brought to court in handcuffs. A heavy police contingent escorted them. Khurarianwala police had booked Idrees along with nine nominated and 50 unidentified men under Sections 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and Sections 225, 186, 353, 149, 148 and 440 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on charges of attacking at police station, creating a law and order situation, damaging public property, rioting and injuring a sub inspector.

After registering a case, police started conducting raids but the MPA secured protective bail from the Lahore High Court.

Later, MPA sought interim bail from an anti-terrorism court which was denied.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 6^th, 2014.