Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the vice chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was placed on judicial detention for 14 days by a local court in Rawalpindi on Thursday in connection with a case involving the riots on May 9.
The former foreign minister was placed under physical remand by the police, and the court, presided over by Duty Magistrate Syed Jahangir Ali, has previously postponed making a decision on the matter.
Qureshi told the court during the hearing earlier today that he was “tortured” by the prison authorities last night.
On Wednesday, authorities briefly freed Qureshi from Adiala jail before re-arresting him. The PTI leader is seen being pushed by police into an armored truck in footage from the event that has gone viral on social media.
The former minister was shackled as he made his way to the courtroom in a footage that PTI posted on social media. He was escorted to court today under a tight police escort.
شاہ محمود قریشی صاحب 40 سال سے سیاست میں ہیں، بطور وزیر خارجہ دو بار پاکستان کی دنیا بھر میں نمائندگی کر چکے ہیں، پارلیمانی لیڈر بھی رہ چکے ہی اور پاکستان کی سب سے بڑی سیاسی پارٹی کے وائس چئیرمین ہیں-
شاہ صاحب کو ہتھکڑی لگا کر عدالت لانا انتہائی شرمناک عمل ہے- یہ وقت بھی گزر… pic.twitter.com/Pps48ET5xO
— PTI (@PTIofficial) December 28, 2023
But upon arriving at the courtroom, the judge ordered the cops to take off his handcuffs.
Qureshi asked the court to record his remarks before the hearing began today. He claimed that although the supreme court had granted him bail, 3 MPO would require him to be held until he could get his release order.
He questioned how, after spending several months behind bars, he could still pose a threat to the public. The former minister claimed that when he was being held from Adiala jail without authorization, he was kicked and made fun of by police officers. He continued by saying that he had asked to be transported to a doctor several times, but that he had never received medical attention.
Qureshi added that he was contacted by a group to record his statement regarding the May 9 riots. He stated, “I was in Karachi on May 9,” and mentioned that his wife was having surgery that day.
Qureshi described the abuse he was reportedly subjected to, including being kept awake all night in a frigid cell with only a candle for light and being forbidden from going to sleep. “I was tortured physically and mentally.”
The prosecution asked the court to place the former foreign minister under physical remand for three days, claiming that remand under terrorist rules permits a remand to last up to ninety days. He continued by saying that he also obtained reports from Pemra and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
The evidence against Qureshi, according to the prosecution, was gathered from social media as well.
The prosecutor made reference to the PTI leader’s May 9 speech, claiming that although though Qureshi was not one of the people who attacked the GHQ, his statement was the catalyst for the attack.
He added that the police will look into Qureshi’s involvement during his physical remand and would seek to hold the PTI leader until January 2.
Ali Bukhari, Qureshi’s attorney, countered that his client ought to be removed from the case. “The prosecution just has a single tweet against my client,” he said. Qureshi was detained in “unlawful custody for 24 hours,” according to Bukhari.
The attorney said that Qureshi’s name was not placed on the police charge sheet and that the physical remand was intended to “torture” his client. He also insisted that punishments could not be meted out in subsequent cases.
In a case involving the alleged misuse of a diplomatic cypher during the later portion of the PTI’s tenure, Qureshi and PTI founder Imran Khan were granted bail by a three-member Supreme Court court on December 22. In the previous administration of former prime minister Imran, Qureshi held the position of foreign minister.
On December 25, Hassan Waqar Cheema, the Deputy Commissioner of Rawalpindi, issued an executive order to detain Qureshi for a period of fifteen days in accordance with Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance. Strangely, on Wednesday morning, the deputy commissioner revoked the directive, allowing jail officials to free the PTI chairman.
But when the former foreign minister was released from prison, there was already a sizable police and Elite Force presence gathered outside the building.
Just before he was taken into custody again, Qureshi spoke to the media and claimed that even though the Supreme Court had given him bail, he was being wrongfully imprisoned again. “This is an injustice against me; I am being targeted for political vengeance,” he said.
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