Pak opposition leader Fawad Chaudhry remanded to judicial custody, sent to jail

Pakistan TehreekeInsafs senior leader Fawad Chaudhry was on Friday remanded to judicial remand and sent to Adiala jail by a local court here on charges of inciting violence against a constitutional institutionFawad a close aide of PTI party chief and former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested in a predawn raid on Wednesday from his residence in Lahore after a case was registered against him at Islamabads Kohsar Police Station on the complaint of the Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan ECPAlso readBharat Jodo Yatra temporarily suspended after entering Kashmir valley due to alleged breach of securityThe Dawn newspaper reported that the Islamabad district and sessions court sent Fawad 52 to the highsecurity Adiala jail on a 14day judicial remand in the case over alleged incitement of violence against a constitutional institutionThe court on Wednesday night had granted police an initial twoday physical remand of Fawad hours after he was arrestedThe ECPs plea for an extension to Fawads physical remand was heard by Judge Raja Waqas Ahmed on FridayAt the hearing the election commissions lawyer Saad Hassan the prosecutor in the case informed the court that the PTI leaders voice matching had been completedHe requested an extension in remand saying that Fawad had to be taken to Lahore for a photogrammetric testThe prosecutor contended before the court that the former federal minister incited hatred against a constitutional institutionFawad is trying to create unrest he said The statement threatens the lives of the election commissions workersThe ECP lawyer argued that an extension to the PTI leaders remand was imperative to carry out further investigation in the caseA day had already passed when the remand was approved at 12am the investigation officer saidThe ECP lawyer told the court that Fawads statement was available on record adding that the PTI leader had also acknowledged his speech No one can object to the speech The accused has accepted his statementAt this Fawads counsel Babar Awan accused the election commission of colluding with the government against PTIWe are being blamed and pressured he saidThe ECP lawyer responded that Fawad was a senior politician but no one is above the lawHe told the court that it was mandatory to search his home It is important to recover Fawads laptop and mobile phone in his presence he saidFawads statement is not one persons statement but an entire groups narrative the ECP lawyer saidA campaign has not only been launched against the ECP but also against the top officials of the election commission saidSeparately a bail application was filed by Fawad on the argument that the case against him was based on mala fide intention and ulterior motives and filed only to harass pressurise sic and blackmail himIt adds that the allegations levelled in the FIR were absolutely false frivolous and baselessThe petitioner was arrested illegally unlawfully and without any justification in negation to the law and constitutional rights of the petitionerThe arrest of Fawad further deepens political fault lines in Pakistan where the Khanled opposition is demanding snap pollsThe general elections in Pakistan are due after August However Khan is demanding snap pollsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever