ISLAMABAD: Anti-Terrorism Special Court-1 Islamabad Judge Abdul Hasnat Mohammad Zulqarnain on Saturday rejected the police request for 10 days of physical custody for PTI’s leaders and activists, arrested on Friday, and instead sent them to jail on judicial remand.
The Kohsar police presented the accused in Judge Zulqarnain’s court, requesting 10 days of physical custody. The police claimed that the accused had snatched an anti-riot shield kit and a tear gas gun and that their other colleagues and unidentified accomplices had escaped. The police argued that physical custody was necessary for recovering these items and identifying their accomplices.
The arrested individuals include Zia Ullah Khan, Raja Qasir Ghaffar, Tanveer Hussain, Malik Rafique, Umar Shahzad, Usman Khan, Afzal Khan Khattak, Azmat Ullah, Nazim Jabbar, and Amir Masood. They were apprehended in connection with a case registered under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, along with sections 395, 324, 148, 149, 188, 186, 341, 353, and 506(ii) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
According to the court order, an inspector present in court, through a written application, requested 10 days of physical custody, arguing that the accused were arrested at the scene and that their custody was required for recovery and investigation purposes.
The judge found the request for physical custody unjustified, stating that the law discourages unnecessary custody of the accused. Consequently, the request for 10 days of physical custody was rejected. The accused were sent to judicial custody for 14 days and ordered to be produced before the court again on June 29, 2024. The investigating officer was directed to submit a challan within the stipulated period.
The FIR stated that approximately 70 to 80 PTI activists, along with armed guards, under the leadership of PTI office bearers Amir Masood Mughal, Shoaib Shaheen, and Ali Bukhari, arrived in street 38 of Sector F-6/1 in vehicles and on motorcycles. They insisted on moving forward despite barriers on the road. When the police attempted to stop them, they hit the barriers with a car and attempted to hit the police with the intention to kill.
The protesters broke through the police cordon, physically confronted, and misbehaved with the police. They snatched a tear gas gun from Constable Jaffar Anjum, an anti-riot shield and kit from Constable Sajjad Hashmi, and tore the uniform of SI Tanveer Ahmed. Armed guards pointed weapons at the police, spreading fear among the residents of the adjacent areas. The activists blocked the National Press Club from both sides, disrupting traffic and causing difficulties for the public.
Despite being informed by the SHO and magistrate that Section 144 of CrPC had been imposed in the capital, banning all gatherings, the protesters resisted and continued their illegal assembly. The police managed to overpower and arrest 10 individuals, while the others escaped.
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