ISLAMABAD: A local court on Wednesday granted two-day physical remand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry for allegedly inciting violence against a constitutional institution – Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The duty magistrate Naveed Khan while announcing its reserved judgment handed Chaudhry to police on two-day physical remand. The court ordered to produce him before it on January 27.

Fawad was arrested by Islamabad police from Lahore and the police shifted him to Islamabad after obtaining his transit remand.

Later, the police produced him before the duty magistrate Naveed Khan for obtaining his physical remand amid tight security arrangements. The police covered the face of Chaudhry with a piece of white cloth while bringing him to court. The court after hearing the arguments of both parties reserved its judgment that was announced later in evening.

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At the onset of the hearing, Chaudhary requested the court to allow him to talk to his family and lawyers. He also told the court that despite the deployment of hundreds of policemen outside the court, he was handcuffed.

“I’m a Supreme Court lawyer, a parliamentarian, and not a terrorist,” he added.

During the hearing, Saad Hassan, the counsel for the ECP, read out the first information report (FIR) before the court.

He said that the ECP is a constitutional body and has the authority to hold elections in the country, adding the PTI leader targeted the commission through a well-thought plan.

He argued that the main objective of Chaudhry’s speech was to incite the masses in order to create hatred against the ECP.

He took the plea that PTI has been targeting the commission from the day it built the narrative of “regime change”, adding he had the evidence as the ECP is being sent threat letters through private people.

However, he said that he was ready to present the evidence of threats to the ECP officials to the judge in his chamber, as he could not make them public.

The investigation officer (IO) in the case requested the court grant eight days physical remand of Chaudhry to conduct an investigation into the allegations against him.

After obtaining a search warrant, he said that the police would search the residences of the accused for the recovery of his mobile phone, laptop, and other devices besides conducting photogrammetry test.

Chaudhry told the court that he is the spokesman of his party and makes statements as per party policy.

He said that the ECP is neither a state nor a government, adding that they have also levelled sedition charges against him.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023