By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A Rawalpindi court on Thursday ordered a two-week judicial remand for a senior opposition leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, who was accused of involvement in a violent protest that targeted the military headquarters last May.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, a former foreign minister and vice chairman of the PTI party, was arrested on Wednesday in a case related to the violence that erupted following the brief arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on corruption charges.
The police brought him in handcuffs to the Judicial Complex in Rawalpindi, where he recorded his statement and complained of being mistreated by the authorities.
“Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi claimed in court that he was subjected to violence and deprived of sleep,” the PTI said in a social media post on platform X. “Mental and physical torture of political prisoners is a violation of fundamental human rights and Pakistan’s commitments under international law.”
The PTI called on the Supreme Court to intervene and hold the caretaker government and the police accountable. The party said Qureshi was a victim of political vendetta and that the authorities were trying to keep the PTI out of the upcoming general election, scheduled for February 2024.
Qureshi was arrested on Wednesday from Adiala Jail, where he had already been held under a preventive detention order after the Supreme Court granted him bail in another case related to leaking state secrets.
The Rawalpindi police have registered at least 12 cases against Qureshi in connection with the May 9 violence.
Qureshi, however, denied any involvement in the protest, saying he was in Karachi on that day, where his wife was undergoing surgery.
The magistrate rejected the police request for a 30-day remand of Qureshi and instead sent him to jail for 14 days. He also ordered the police to remove his handcuffs and allowed him to record his statement.
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