CCPO told to explain detention of Khadija Shah despite bail

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday directed the capital city police officer to explain Tuesday (today) the detention of fashion designer Khadija Shah after getting bail in two cases, while an anti-terrorism court on Monday denied the police her physical remand in a third case of the May 9 riots.

Hearing a contempt of court petition, Justice Ali Baqar Najafi showed concern over the manner in which the petitioner, Ms. Shah, had been kept in jail despite bail granted to her in two cases.

CCPO Bilal Siddique Kamyana appeared before the court on short notice and told the court there was a development in police investigation after the arrest of three absconding suspects, including a chef of Ms. Shah, on October 18.

He said the police had investigated the petitioner in the case with the permission of the trial court. He said the petitioner had been arrested in a case of torching police vehicles near Rahat Bakery Chowk, Lahore Cantt., in light of the statements of the arrested suspects. He said everything was being done strictly in accordance with the law.

The investigating officer, Inspector Naveed Anjum, told the court that the chef disclosed that Ms. Shah had convened several meetings of PTI workers at her home and planned attacks on the corps commander’s house and other premises in case former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested.

Justice Najafi observed that such ‘developments’ in the investigation would never end if police had decided to keep a suspect behind bars.

Advocate Sameer Khosa, the counsel for Ms. Shah, said the IGP had told a division bench that only two cases—Jinnah House and Askari Tower—were registered against the petitioner. He said the petitioner was behind bars for six months, but the police had made her arrest in the third case only after the LHC granted her bail in the other two cases.

The judge observed that the counsel should separately challenge the physical remand of his client if the trial court grants it to the police.

However, ATC Judge Abher Gul Khan rejected the police request for the physical remand of Ms. Shah and sent her to jail on judicial remand.

Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism court on Monday granted post-arrest bail to 11 suspects and denied the same to six others in the Corps Commander House attack case. Those granted bail were Tanvir Haider, Shahbaz, Waseem Gul, Mukhtar Shah, Farzana Sarwar, Hassan Mujtaba, Saif Ali, Farman Ali, Adnan Haider, Elvin Masih, and Qadir Khan.

The court dismissed the bail petitions of Mohsin Hussain, Zainul Abideen, Haider Ali, Abdul Qayyum, Afnan Bhatti, and Ali Qureshi.