ISLAMABAD: On Thursday, a Rawalpindi court dismissed a plea aiming for police custody of PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, opting instead to send him to jail on a 14-day judicial remand in connection to the May 9 riots.
During the court proceedings, the former foreign minister became emotional and alleged experiencing physical and mental torture while in prison the previous night.
Addressing the duty magistrate, he expressed a desire to make a statement, emphasizing the sequence of events surrounding his arrest. Qureshi highlighted the alteration in arrest dates, citing an initial order for December 26 that was supposedly changed to December 27.
These revelations came to light as the PTI leader provided his statement during a hearing related to a police request for a three-day physical remand concerning the GHQ attack case on May 9 at the Rawalpindi Judicial Complex. The court has reserved its decision on the matter.
The previous day, a video circulated on social media depicting Qureshi being mishandled during his re-arrest.
A video shared by the PTI showcased policemen escorting a handcuffed Qureshi on Thursday.
Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi made alarming claims on Thursday about his alleged mistreatment during imprisonment, asserting he faced mental and physical torture and endured harsh cold conditions.
Presenting himself before Duty Magistrate Syed Jahangir Ali in the GHQ attack case, Qureshi revealed the police’s attempt to elicit his statement without his legal counsel present.
He strongly protested this approach, emphasizing the unjust treatment he had endured for months in detention.
Expressing his innocence, Qureshi asserted that on the day of the alleged incident in Rawalpindi, May 9, he was actually in Karachi with his wife at the Aga Khan Hospital. He urged authorities to verify his whereabouts through PEMRA records, reinforcing his absence from Rawalpindi at the time.
During the court proceedings, Qureshi requested the magistrate to remove his handcuffs, prompting the judge to order the police to release him from restraints.
Recounting his previous legal encounters, Qureshi highlighted his prior acquittal by three Supreme Court judges, contrasting it with his subsequent arrest under Maintenance of Public Order 3 (MPO 3).
He detailed the confusion surrounding his arrest, mentioning abrupt changes in dates and orders, emphasizing the tumultuous sequence of events leading to his detention.
Furthermore, the PTI leader detailed his alleged mistreatment while in custody, citing physical assault by an SHO and subsequent pleas for medical attention that were inadequately addressed.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
