Court hands over Khadija Shah to police for identification parade

LAHORE: Famous designer Khadija Shah, who is the prime suspect in the attack on the Lahore Corps Commander's House, was handed over to police by an anti-terrorism court Wednesday till May 30 for an identification parade. 

The fashion designer was brought to court with her face covered in a black cloth.

Shah was presented before an ATC judge after she was made to wait in the police van for more than an hour.

When the police presented Shah in court it requested the judge to send her to jail for the identification parade.

She was also allowed to meet her husband in the courtroom.

After approving the police’s request, the court issued directives to present her on May 30 again.

Following her arrest a day earlier, Khadija Shah was transferred to a women's police station. Sources, privy to the case, shared that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supporter would be investigated by Superintendent of Police (SP) Anush Masood.

Despite her husband and other family members being arrested, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporter did not surrender herself to the authorities even after claiming that she would present herself before them.

The Corps Commander House or Jinnah House was attacked on May 9 when PTI stormed and burned it down following party chairman Imran Khan's arrest in the £190m settlement case.

In an audio message released on Sunday, Shah admitted that she was a PTI supporter and was part of the protest outside the Jinnah House but denied committing any wrongdoing, including inciting people to violence.

Shah is the daughter of Dr Salman Shah who was a member of former president Parvez Musharraf’s finance team and had also served as an adviser in the Punjab government during the Usman Buzdar government.

She is also the granddaughter of a former army chief.

Her arrest came after a report revealed how efforts to seek relief for the famed fashion designer failed miserably. She had fled when police raided her residence and had been on the run since then.

Punjab Interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi had last week announced that the women involved in the May 9 attacks on the military installations would be arrested at all costs.

The army and the federal government have also vowed that all miscreants involved in the attacks on military installations would be tried under the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secrets Act.

Following the attacks, thousands of PTI workers have been rounded up across the country, with several leaders also parting ways with the party over the May 9 mayhem.

'Very tough days'

In her voice note, Khadija Shah said she was going to surrender to the police and admitted her mistake.

Shah acknowledged that she had made "inappropriate" tweets against the military leadership in anger and emotion, but now they have been deleted.

“I am going to surrender to the police. I have taken this decision because the last five days remained very tough for me,” she said.

“They (authorities) barged into my house at midnight and abducted my husband and father. They roughed up my husband in front of our children... my domestic workers were also subjected to torture,” she claimed.

The PTI supporter went on to say she did not violate any law or the country's Constitution, adding that she had participated in many PTI protests during the past year.

She also disclosed that she was a dual citizen and trying to get help from the embassy but did not elaborate further in this regard.