Police get Sheikh Rashid’s two-day remand

Sheikh Rashid could be jailed for seven years for hurling allegations at Asif Zardari, says Prosecutor

By APP

February 03, 2023

Sheikh Rashid talking to the newsmen after being arrested by Islamabad police in pre-dawn raid on his residence on February 2, 2023. Screengrab of a Twitter video.

ISLAMABAD: A judicial magistrate court on Thursday granted a two-day physical remand of Awami Muslim League’s (AML) head Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to the Aabpara Police in a case of levelling allegations against former president Asif Ali Zardari.

Sheikh Rashid was presented before the court of Judicial Magistrate Umar Shabbir amid foolproof security. At the outset of the hearing, Public Prosecutor Muhammad Adnan read out the content of the First Information Report (FIR) against Sheikh Rashid.

He said Sheikh Rashid was hurling threats at the family of Asif Zardari and for that he could be jailed for seven years along with fine under sections of law applied in the FIR.

The prosecutor said the accused had claimed in his statement that the former president had hatched a conspiracy to murder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan.

An attempt on the life of PTI chairman had already been carried out and in such a situation the accused was trying to create a clash between the parties of Imran Khan and Asif Ali Zardari. He said such an irresponsible statement had put the lives of Asif Zardari and his family members at stake, and prayed the court to give physical remand of the accused for investigation, and to conduct his voice matching and photogrammetric tests.

Sheikh Rashid, on the occasion, said he had just repeated the statement of Imran Khan and termed it true. He said that the police had not tortured him during the custody, however, his mobile phones were taken. The police had served a notice to him that as they wanted to arrest him, he added.

Sheikh Rashid’s lawyer Abdul Razzaq, Advocate, said that an FIR was registered against his client last night. He opposed the plea for physical remand, arguing that the Islamabad High Court had already suspended the police notice in the case. His client had not mentioned any political party in his statement, he added.

The lawyer said a Pakistan Peoples Party activist was the complainant in the FIR instead of Asif Zardari. Only the federal or provincial government could get registered a case under sections 505 and 503, he added.