Islamabad court sends Shehryar Afridi on 14-day judicial remand

A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Monday rejected the police's request seeking an extension in the physical remand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former state minister for interior Shehryar Afridi and sent him to Rawalpindi's Adiala jail on a 14-day judicial remand in a case related to May 9 riots.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest in £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case sparked countrywide protests that saw incidents of vandalism and violence last month. During the days-long protests, which ended only after the former prime minister's release, enraged PTI workers allegedly attacked private and public properties, including military installations — the Lahore Corps Commander's House (Jinnah House) and the General Headquarters (GHQ) entrance. At least eight people lost their lives during the violent protests.

Afridi was picked up on May 16 from his residence in Islamabad under Section 3 of Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance 1960, which enables the government to arrest persons “acting in any manner prejudicial to public safety”.

On May 30, he was rearrested shortly after being released from Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. According to the jail administration, Afridi was released on completion of his “house arrest” period under the MPO. The Rawalpindi deputy commissioner had extended Afridi’s house arrest under MPO for another 15 days.

On June 17, the police produced the incarcerated PTI leader in the local court in Islamabad in a case pertaining to May 9 vandalism. The police sought his five-day physical remand in the case registered against him at Islamabad's I-9 Police Station, saying that the PTI leader’s photogrammetric and voice-matching tests were yet to be conducted. Meanwhile, the court had granted the police a two-day physical remand of the PTI leader.

Earlier today, Afridi — after completion of his physical remand — was produced before the court.

At the outset of today’s hearing, the police sought and extension in the physical remand of the PTI leader which the court denied and instead sent Afridi to jail on 14-day judicial remand.