Court gives temporary custody of PTI’s Fawad shortly after arrest
A case was reported to Kohsar Police Station against a former minister, based on a complaint from Secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan.
LAHORE: The Lahore Cantt Magistrate Court gave permission on Wednesday for the Islamabad Police to take transitory remand of PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry, who had been arrested from Lahore earlier that day.
A first information report was filed against Fawad, according to the complaint of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Secretary Umar Hameed, for alleged incitement of violence against the constitutional institution.
The FIR stated that Fawad had instigated the public against a constitutional institution and committed sedition, with the specified offences falling under Sections 153-A (promotion of enmity between groups), 506 (criminal intimidation), 505 (statement conducing to public mischief) and 124-A (sedition) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
فواد چوہدری کو کینٹ کچہری پیش کردیا گیا
pic.twitter.com/ZuMLjivjs5— PTI (@PTIofficial) January 25, 2023
According to reports, Fawad’s transit remand was obtained in Lahore and he will now be transferred to Islamabad. Judicial magistrate Mudasar Hayat instructed the relevant authorities to bring Fawad before the court in Islamabad today, and also requested a medical examination at Services Hospital Lahore.
During the hearing, police officials presented Fawad with handcuffs. He requested the court for a copy of the FIR and was handed the same. He then expressed his status as a former federal minister and lawyer of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC), noting that the conduct during his arrest was not satisfactory.
Fawad interacts with the press
The arrest
At a press talk, the PTI leader severely criticised the appointment of Mohsin Naqvi as Punjab’s caretaker chief minister. He went on to say that “those who are appointed to take care of the [Punjab] government should be held accountable until they are punished.”
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairperson and ex-prime minister Imran Khan had previously decided to protest against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) selection of Naqvi, dubbing him an “adversary of PTI”. The protests were set to occur nationwide.