Former interior minister and chief of Awami Muslim League (AML), Sheikh Rasheed, who is currently incarcerated, has filed a plea in the anti-terrorism court (ATC) seeking a medical examination.
The plea, submitted by Rasheed’s lawyer Sardar Shehzad, requests the court to transfer him to a government hospital, citing deteriorating health and the denial of meetings with his lawyer. The document also urges the court to order a medical examination and obtain the medical report to address concerns about Rasheed’s health.
In response to the contempt plea filed by Rasheed’s lawyer regarding the denial of meetings, the ATC issued a notice to the jail superintendent for not allowing the interaction. The court has summoned the jail superintendent, Asad Javed Warraich, on January 26 in a personal capacity.
In a recent development, an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi had sent Sheikh Rasheed to jail for a 14-day judicial remand in connection with the May 9 riots case. The case involves allegations against Rasheed of planning vandalism and attacking a sensitive installation on May 9, following the arrest of a former prime minister. Despite the police’s request for physical remand, the court rejected it and ordered a 14-day judicial remand. Sheikh Rasheed, expressing defiance, vowed to contest elections from jail.
It is worth noting that Sheikh Rasheed had condemned the May 9 riots last year, denouncing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief as ‘stubborn’ in connection with the events. In a statement to a private news channel, the former interior minister mentioned being in a ‘Chilla’ (a term implying spending time underground) for the last 40 days.
