Islamabad court given an order of 2-day physical detention for Sheikh Rashid

Awami Muslim League (AML) leader and PTI supporter Sheikh Rashid Ahmed was granted a two-day physical remand by an Islamabad court on Thursday, hours after the politician was detained in connection with comments he made against former president Asif Ali Zardari.

Raja Inayatur Rehman, the vice president of the PPP Rawalpindi Division, filed a police complaint after the AML chief allegedly claimed that Zardari had received help from some terrorists to plan Imran's murder in a television interview on January 27. This led to Ahmed's arrest.

Imran Khan, the leader of the PTI, claimed in a broadcast address on January 27 that Zardari was behind a new murder plot, or "plan C," and that a terror organization had been hired for the purpose. He didn't provide any supporting details for his charge.

The police and the prosecution both asked for the politician's physical detention for an eight-day period during today's session, which was presided over by Judicial Magistrate Omar Shabbir.

The judge announced the reserved decision, allowing the police to physically detain the AML leader for two days.

It Was Heard

The prosecutor submitted the case file at the beginning of the hearing, and the police asked the judge to order Ahmed's eight-day detention.

Open my handcuffs first, the AML chief requested. I've been a minister 16 times," he lamented. Why are the handcuffs not being released? The entire night has been spent with it on. The officers gave in to his request and unlocked the handcuffs.

The judge questioned Prosecutor Adnan after hearing the charges brought against Ahmed, "Show me that penalty in the situation where Section 120 is appropriate."

Sheikh Rashid is putting Asif Zardari's family in risk, the prosecution claimed. Sheikh Rashid may receive a fine and a sentence of seven years in prison, per the sections.

"Sheikh Rashid made the claim that Asif Ali Zardari had planned to assassinate Imran Khan," he argued. People in Pakistan can be ready to slice necks at the slightest provocation.

"Imran Khan has also faced assaults in the past. There have been attempts to provoke conflict between Imran Khan's and Asif Zardari's political groups. The lives of Asif Zardari and his family are under danger. Then, the prosecutor asked for the AML director's physical detention.

Has Asif Zardari informed you that he is in danger, the judge continued. In response, the prosecution said that Ahmed had provided the statement on his own.

The prosecutor concluded by saying that Ahmed's voice-matching test and a photogrammetric test must be carried out by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), emphasizing that they were "extremely significant" throughout the trial.

Then, Sardar Abdul Razik Khan and Intizar Panjhota, Ahmed's attorneys, gave their presentations.

Sheikh Rashid has been designated as the subject of a political vengeance, he claimed. Every other day, political parties criticize one another. No politician will be able to speak if more of these situations are reported.

He maintained that only the federal or provincial government could register charges under Sections 505 and 153. He added that a PPP employee, not Zardari, was the one who had filed the lawsuit.

He reiterated Ahmed's allegations that the police had broken into his home and mistreated the staff while asserting that his client had been detained in Rawalpindi without a warrant.

Panjhota, Ahmed's additional attorney, maintained that the prosecution was only asking for physical remand in exchange for obtaining a statement. "Physical remand cannot be granted solely for statement recording."

For his part, the AML chief informed the court that plans were being made to either imprison or disqualify the PTI leader before the polls.

He claimed that making statements to the media was "kind of like my wage."

You can file a defamation case against me instead, he said, adding that he believed Imran's claims to be true. "Imran Khan told me he has evidence that Zardari wants to kill him [so] I said that Imran has evidence against Zardari.

After hearing the arguments, the court postponed reaching a decision.

This Morning's Early Arrest

His nephew Sheikh Rashid Shafique confirmed the arrest to Geo News, saying that the AML leader was taken into custody from his residence in an exclusive community in Islamabad.

A copy of the first information report (FIR), which was filed at Islamabad's Aabpara Police Station under the Pakistan Penal Code's sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups, etc.), and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), is available with Dawn.com.

Ahmed alleged that between 300 and 400 police officers stormed into his home, assaulted household employees, and forcibly removed him in comments that were reported by BBC Urdu.

He said that some [staff members] broke into his home using ladders. He continued by saying that despite receiving relief from the Islamabad High Court, he had been arrested (IHC).

The head of AML Pledged to Take His Arrest to Court.

He had earlier shared a picture of himself grinning at the Aabpara Police Station on Twitter.

Ahmed claimed that as the police were trying to arrest him, they looted his home and beat his domestic workers in a video message shared by the PTI on its official Twitter account.

He asserted that his attorney Mian Tahir had obtained his release on bail and continued by saying that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah was responsible for the incident.

Justice will win, and we are with Imran Khan, the AML chief declared, adding that "the IG has been called on Feb. 6 [for this imove]".

Police in Islamabad Statement

The Islamabad Police tweeted a statement in response to Ahmed's charges, saying, "There were no children present in Sheikh Rashid's home. Neither item was looted nor any glasses were broken.

It was alleged that the AML chief had misbehaved and abused the police officers. According to the police, neither Ahmed nor any of the workers who were there at his home were "mistreated in any manner."

Further, it demanded that "protests within and outside the courts be held in conformity with the law" and "strongly oppose bad propaganda."

According to the statement, Ahmed "would not be hurt in any way" and the police had been understanding despite the AML chief's inappropriate behavior.

At the Aabpara police station later that day, a second FIR was filed against Ahmed for assaulting a police officer and ripping his uniform.

The FIR, a copy of which is available at Dawn.com, states that the case was filed under Sections 186 (obstructing public servants in the performance of their official duties), 353 (using force or criminal assault to prevent a public servant from performing his duty), and 506ii (punishment for criminal intimidation: If a death or severe injury is threatened, for example), according to the Pakistani Penal Code.

According to the complaint, the ex-interior minister arrived at the door carrying two unidentified armed individuals when the police went to his house to arrest him.

According to the complaint, officers informed Ahmed that he had been named in a case and needed to be brought to the appropriate police station. At this point, the AML chief and the two people with him started arguing with the police, during which Usman Zahoor, a police officer, was assaulted and his uniform torn.

Ahmed threatened the policemen, saying, "I have been a minister many times, and I won't leave any of you alive," according to the FIR. Ahmed also used foul language.

The PTI chairman criticized the action in response to the arrest. Never before in our history have we had a caretaker administration that is so biased and vengeful, selected by [a] completely discredited ECP.

The question is: Can Pakistan afford a street movement that is being forced upon us at a time when [the] imported administration has bankrupted us? Tweeted him.

According to the FIR that was filed against the AML commander, Ahmed's comment was made as part of a plot to malign the former president and pose a long-term threat to his family.

"He wants to destabilize the peace of the country by inciting animosity and war between the PPP and PTI with this invented and false plot," it continued.

Ahmed had been asked by the Islamabad Police to appear before it today in relation to the matter yesterday. The notification was, however, suspended by the IHC.

The Islamabad police chief was also sent notices by the court, and he was requested to suggest a senior officer who could brief the high court on the case's facts. The former interior minister asserted that the former president had allegedly hired "assassins to kill Imran Khan" and that he had "direct knowledge of the assassination conspiracy."

Sheikh Rashid said in the plea that the notice the local police had given him was in conflict with certain parts of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). A further hearing has been postponed until February 6.

Rashid Shafique, Ahmed's nephew, filed a contempt petition against Aabpara Station House Officer Ashfaq Warraich in the IHC on Wednesday afternoon. He claimed that the respondent had been ordered by the court to bring the entire case file and had also suspended the notice's effectiveness. He asked the court to declare him in contempt for allegedly disobeying its directives.

In Violation of The Law

A number of legal actions have been taken against PTI officials and their affiliates prior to the arrest. PTI Fawad Chaudhry was detained last week on suspicion of threatening the families of ECP members. Later, he was granted bail. Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, the PML-Q leader, said that his Gujrat home was invaded. Shandana Gulzar Khan, a former PTI MNA, is the subject of a sedition charge. Imran Riaz Khan, a journalist who supports Imran Khan, was detained today.

Additionally, authorities had cordoned up Sheikh Rashid's renowned Lal Haveli home before to his detention.

The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and the FIA sealed the two flats of the Ahmed's Lal Haveli residence in Rawalpindi and five surrounding units earlier this week due to "illegal possession."

Ahmed then protested the action by filing a case with the Lahore High Court, claiming that the ETPB employees were "misusing their authority under the orders of political high-ups." Admitting his argument, the LHC instructed the board to resolve the ownership of the property within 15 days and reprimanded the ETPB for its confusing position.