<\/p>\n
A Rawalpindi court on Thursday rejected the Punjab police\u2019s plea seeking PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi\u2019s custody and sent the former foreign minister to jail on 14-day judicial remand in a fresh case linked to May 9 riots.<\/p>\n
The development comes a day after Qureshi was manhandled and re-arrested<\/a> outside Adiala Jail in connection with an attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on May 9 \u2014 when widespread protests<\/a> erupted across the country after ex-premier Imran Khan\u2019s arrest.<\/p>\n Media reports said the PTI leader was also implicated in a dozen similar cases.<\/p>\n Qureshi was released from Adiala Jail on Wednesday after the Supreme Court had approved his post-arrest bail<\/a> in the cipher case. However, the PTI leader, who tried to talk to the Punjab police on multiple occasions, was pushed and whisked away from the prison. The PTI leader was initially moved to the Cantt police station by the police, who maltreated him.<\/p>\n Today, Qureshi was presented before the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Syed Jahangir Ali. A video shared by the PTI on social media showed policemen escorting a hand-cuffed Qureshi.<\/p>\n In another video, after the hearing concluded, Qureshi could be seen lifting his hands to pose for a victory sign as he was being taken away by the police. According to the PTI, he also shouted slogans in favour of Imran Khan.<\/p>\n As the hearing commenced, Qureshi said he wanted to record his statement before the court. He highlighted that three judges of the apex court had approved his bail against surety bonds.<\/p>\n However, the PTI leader highlighted that before he could obtain the robkar<\/em> (release order), it emerged that orders<\/a> had been issued to detain Qureshi under the Maintenance of Public Order.<\/p>\n \u201cHow am I a threat to the public? I have been in jail for several months,\u201d Qureshi said. He added that he had been told in Adiala Jail that the MPO orders against him would be withdrawn but the date was later extended to Dec 27 instead of Dec 26.<\/p>\n Qureshi said he had been detained from inside Adiala Jail illegally, highlighting that he had been a member of the Parliament five times. The PTI leader further stated that police officials had kicked and ridiculed him, claiming that he wasn\u2019t taken to a doctor despite chest pains.<\/p>\n \u201cA team came to me saying that they wanted to record a statement on the May 9 violence. These people want to nominate me in cases related to May 9,\u201d he said. \u201cI was in Karachi on May 9 \u2026 my wife was undergoing surgery (that day).\u201d<\/p>\n The PTI vice chairman also alleged that he was kept in a cold cell last night and wasn\u2019t allowed to sleep. \u201cI was tortured mentally and physically,\u201d he claimed.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the prosecutor sought a three-day physical remand of Qureshi. He argued that remand in terrorism cases could be taken for even 90 days, adding that he had reports from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority.<\/p>\n \u201cWe found evidence against Qureshi [in the reports],\u201d he said, adding that evidence was also collected from social media and the same was presented in court.<\/p>\n Prosecutor Akram Amin contended that the PTI leader\u2019s speech on May 9 was not ordinary. \u201cWe are not saying that Qureshi was among those who attacked GHQ \u2026 we are saying he made a speech that led to the GHQ attack,\u201d he claimed.<\/p>\n He added that during the remand, the police would investigate the effects of Qureshi\u2019s speech and conduct photogrammetric tests. Subsequently, Amin sought the PTI leader\u2019s custody until Jan 2.<\/p>\n On the other hand, Qureshi\u2019s lawyer Ali Bukhari requested the court to discharge his client from the case. He also raised objections to bringing the PTI leader to court in handcuffs.<\/p>\n \u201cThe prosecution just has a single tweet against my client in which he had urged the public to protest with the PTI chairman,\u201d he said, adding that Qureshi was kept in \u201cunlawful custody\u201d for 24 hours.<\/p>\n Bukhari further stated that the purpose of physical remand was to \u201ctorture\u201d. He said punishments could not be given in supplementary cases, pointing out that the police had not written Qureshi\u2019s name on the charge sheet.<\/p>\n At one point, Qureshi, while mentioning his contributions to Pakistan, became emotional and said he had fought for the country\u2019s institutions in the world. \u201cIs this justice?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n At that, the judge ordered the police to remove Qureshi\u2019s handcuffs. The PTI leader also said that he could swear upon the Holy Quran that he was not in Rawalpindi, or Punjab, on May 9.<\/p>\n After hearing the arguments, the court reserved its verdict on the police plea seeking Qureshi\u2019s three-day physical remand.<\/p>\n Speaking to media persons ahead of the hearing, the PTI leader\u2019s daughter Meher Bano Qureshi expressed displeasure at the security arrangement made outside the court. \u201cIt seems as if they are presenting a terrorist,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you scared of? What can Shah sahib<\/em> say? Why is the media being kept away?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n Meher Bano noted that security at the judicial complex had been beefed up in an unusual manner. \u201cTechnically, no one is allowed to enter the Judicial Complex,\u201d she pointed out, adding that the police\u2019s behaviour was disappointing.<\/p>\n Talking about yesterday\u2019s arrest, she said the scenes had created a \u201cjoke out of Pakistan in a neighbouring country\u201d. \u201cEven the neighbouring country would be wondering how a former foreign minister is being treated,\u201d Meher Bano added.<\/p>\n Separately, in a statement issued today, PPP Senator Raza Rabbani strongly condemned the police\u2019s manhandling of Qureshi a day earlier.<\/p>\n He said that regardless of the fact that the PTI leader was a politician and former foreign minister, Qureshi was, above all, a citizen of Pakistan and deserved \u201cthe highest degree of respect\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe police treat citizens as if they are enemies of the state,\u201d Rabbani stated, noting that the manner in which Qureshi was \u201cbundled into the police van was despicable\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt appears that civil servants and police have not shed the colonial mindset of governance and treat citizens as if they have to be humiliated,\u201d the PPP senator said.<\/p>\nWas \u2018mentally and physically tortured\u2019 in prison last night: Qureshi<\/h2>\n
\u2018Why are you scared of Shah sahib<\/em>?\u2019<\/h2>\n
Rabbani condemns manhandling of Qureshi<\/h2>\n