ISLAMABAD: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday granted one-day physical remand to police of journalist Siddique Jan in a case registered against him with respect to vandalism and violence at the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC) during the appearance of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Chairman Imran Khan there.

Police produced the journalist before ATC Judge Raja Jawad for obtaining his physical remand.

At the start of the hearing, police requested the court to grant a 10-day physical remand of the accused to conduct further investigation from him.

The judge inquired from the prosecutor that on which ground you are requesting for granting 10 days’ physical remand.

To this, the prosecutor told the court that the accused has stopped police from discharging their duties.

The physical remand of the accused is required to recover tear gas shell from the accused and conduct his photogrammetric test, he further told the court.

He further told the court that the accused has stopped police from firing tear gas shells against the protesters.

The judge asked the journalist, have you been subjected to torture during custody? The journalist replied in the negative, saying police have not tortured him.

Jan’s counsel Mian Ashfaq said that viewing the video on which the case was based, one could not make a case. You should watch the video and tell if a case could be filed on its basis, he said.

He said that nowhere in the video it was said that police should not open fire. He said the sections mentioned in the FIR were bailable.

The court, after hearing arguments, rejected the police request of granting 10 days physical remand and approved one-day physical remand of Jan and his friend Idrees.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023