IHC denies physical remand for PTI MNAs, orders judicial remand

On Friday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) rejected the police’s request for an eight-day physical remand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNAs, opting instead for judicial remand.

The decision came from a division bench led by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, with Justice Saman Raffat Imtiaz also on the panel. The court was hearing a case related to the arrests of PTI leaders following a public rally in Sangjani.

Representing the complainants were Islamabad Bar Council (IBC) Vice Chairman Adil Aziz Qazi and Raja Haleem Abbasi, while the prosecutor general represented the state’s interests.

Justice Farooq questioned the uniformity of the physical remand orders, criticizing the FIR’s author as being “nothing short of comedy.” He also expressed amusement when informed that a pistol was allegedly recovered from PTI chief Barrister Gohar. “It’s been four days now. You have done whatever you wanted to do, but what justifies an eight-day physical remand?” Justice Farooq queried.

The counsel for the MNAs cited the Wahab Al-Khairi case, leading Justice Farooq to issue a short order granting relief to the PTI leaders. The court’s reserved verdict nullified the physical remand, resulting in a shift to judicial remand.

Earlier, on Thursday, ten PTI MNAs were brought to the National Assembly for a session, escorted by a heavy contingent of Islamabad police. They were handed over to the acting Sergeant-at-Arms as per the production orders issued by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. The MNAs included Sheikh Waqas Akram, Zain Qureshi, Sher Afzal Marwat, Malik Awais Jhakar, Malik Amir Dogar, Ahmad Chatha, Zubair Khan Wazir, Syed Ahmad Ali Shah, Syed Naseem Ali Shah, and Yousaf Khan.

In a controversial move a few days prior, Islamabad police officers conducted an operation against the PTI leaders, arresting those who had sought refuge in Parliament House. This action followed a public gathering by the PTI in Sangjani, which was marked by allegations of multiple violations.