Pakistan: Islamabad Court directs police to present PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry

Islamabad [Pakistan], January 28 (ANI): An Islamabad court on Saturday directed the police to produce Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry in the court as the police challenged a session and district court’s decision to reject his physical remand, The Express Tribune reported.

Earlier, the court rejected the police’s request for an extension in his physical remand and sent Fawad Chaudhry on a 14-day judicial remand to Adiala Jail. The court heard the case of sedition charges against Fawad Chaudhry for “threatening” the chief election commissioner (CEC) and members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), as per The Express Tribune report. The police filed an appeal against the decision before the session judge and called for the annulment of the decision of Judicial Magistrate Waqas Ahmed Raja.

The police had called for an extension of the physical remand of Fawad Chaudhry, as per the news report. On January 18, Fawad Chaudhry was arrested from Lahore on charges of sedition for “threatening” the chief election commissioner (CEC) and members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

After this, the Islamabad court handed over Fawad Chaudhry to the police on a two-day physical remand. As the remand ended on Friday, he was presented before the court of Judicial Magistrate Waqas Ahmed Raja, as per the news report.
Fawad Chaudhry was arrested shortly after he publicly criticized the Pakistan government for plotting to arrest the country’s former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, Geo News reported. PTI leader Farrukh Habib confirmed Chaudhry’s arrest.

Habib posted a tweet stating, “Fawad Chaudhry has been arrested by the police from his house. The imported government has gone berserk.” Chaudhry’s arrest was made amid the nightlong turnout of PTI workers who descended upon party chairman Imran Khan’s house to ensure his security.

PTI leaders and workers in large numbers gathered outside Imran Khan’s residence in Lahore’s Zaman Park as rumours of an impending arrest of former Pakistan PM circulated in the early hours of Wednesday, according to Geo News report. PTI supporters raised slogans in support of Imran Khan and vowed unwavering loyalty to their leader, even if it meant putting their own lives on the line.