ISLAMABAD: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC), on Tuesday, granted three-day physical remand of lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chatta in a terrorism case registered against them.
The city police produced Mazari and her husband who were taken into custody on October 28 before the ATC judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain for obtaining their physical remand in a case registered against them on a charge of allegedly creating security risks during an international cricket team’s visit.
At the start of the hearing, prosecutor Raja Naveed requested the court to grant police 30 days’ physical remand of the accused. To this, the judge inquired the prosecutor what was the case. Why are you requesting the physical remand, the judge asked.
The prosecutor read out the First Information Report (FIR) and said that at the time of the incident, traffic was closed as there was a route for the England cricket team, which was in Pakistan. The cricket team was ready to leave for the ground, and international cricket was being provided with state-level security, he said.
He alleged that both the husband and wife were trying to remove security barriers placed on the road. The female accused told the police that she was Imaan Mazari and this road is not your father’s. When the traffic police personnel tried to reinstall the barrier, Mazari’s husband attacked him, he said.
The prosecutor further said that due to the removal of the barrier, around two to three motorcycle riders broke the route and went onward. “Following the arrival of other police personnel both the lawyer backtracked,” he said.
The judge told the prosecutor you were reading out the content of the FIR, and what was your plea?
To this prosecutor said that the accused had incited the public and therefore, it was necessary to match voice and video. The judge asked the prosecutor whether police had arrested the person who trespassed the barrier. The prosecutor replied that their identification was still ongoing.
The defence counsel, Attaullah Kundi, told the court that the court knows better in what case Section 7ATA should be invoked. He told the court, that the clients of Mazari had arrived in the court, due to which, she wanted to reach the court as early as possible.
When she tried to reach the court early, the police hit her with barriers, and her medical report is also available, he said. He said that the accused should be punished for the crime that was committed. This is a case of interference in government operations, he said.
Another defence counsel told the court that they (the police) have committed terrorism as the person with whom the accused exchanged harsh wards was dressed in plain clothes. The prosecutor further told the court that remand is required for further investigation.
The cricket team was a state guest, and their security is the responsibility of the government, he said, adding that during an attack on the SriLankan team, a police personnel was martyred and a player was injured. He said that before the incident, police had issued a traffic update.
The defence counsel said that police have also uploaded a video of the incident on social media and both the complainant and accused were saying they have removed the barriers. Now what investigation they want to conduct, he said.
The prosecutor said that the investigators want to conduct a forensic of the video uploaded on social media as well as a photogrammetrical test will be conducted.
The court after hearing the arguments reserved its verdict.
Later, while announcing the verdict handed over both the accused on three-day physical remand.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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