ISLAMABAD: A local court on Monday sent the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior vice president, Fawad Chaudhry, to jail on a 14-day judicial remand in a case over alleged incitement to violence against a constitutional institution.
The city police produced Chaudhry before judicial magistrate Waqas Ahmed Raja at around 3:20 pm after the expiry of his two-day physical remand. The judge and legal team of the accused arrived in the court at 11:30 am as earlier it was announced that the hearing of the case will be started at 11:30 am.
However, the court was informed by the police that the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is coming to Islamabad due to which the appearance of the accused will be delayed.
The judge asked the prosecution to confirm from the police at which time they will produce the accused before the court and then inform it. The court observed that its staff will inform the legal team of the accused about the time at which the suspect will be produced. The court then took a break.
Later, the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) legal informed the court that the accused will be produced during court hours. At this, the judge told him that court hours are up to 3:15 pm. inform the court about a fixed time on which you can produce the accused, the judge further said. The DSP legal after confirming the time inform the court they will produce the accused at 3:00 pm. The police produce the PTI leader at around 2:20 pm before the court.
At the onset of the hearing, the prosecution requested the court for an extension in the physical remand of the PTI leader. He told the court that the suspect was taken to Lahore for the photogrammetric test. What is the significance of the photogrammetric test in Fawad Chaudhry’s case, the judge asked the prosecutor.
The prosecutor replied that the purpose of carrying out the photogrammetric test was to identify the real person. The mobile phone and laptop of the suspect have yet not been recovered, he further told the court.
However, Saad Hassan, the counsel of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has not requested the court for an extension in the physical remand of the accused. We just wanted to conduct a photogrammetric test of the accused which has been carried out, he said.
Babar Awan, counsel of the PTI leader, while arguing before the court said that Chaudhry has admitted his statement. The prosecution has made a joke of the PTI leader’s case, he said, adding that he did not know whom the prosecution wanted to please. I do not know which laptop the prosecution wants to recover, he said.
Awan further said that the judicial remand of the accused is considered a remand. Today your face was not covered with a cloth; the judge asked Chaudhry. Yes, my face was not covered with a cloth by the police, the PTI leader told the court.
Chaudhry further said that he has not slept for more than two and a half hours during the last six days. “I was made to sit on the rear seat of a police van during cold weather,” he further said.
The court after hearing arguments of both parties sent Chaudhry to jail on judicial remand.
Chaudhry was arrested from Lahore on January 25. Police had registered a case against the PTI leader at Kohsar police station on the complaint of Secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Umar Hameed Khan.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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