An Islamabad’s court has extended Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry’s physical detention for two-days in a complaint brought by the police for threatening behavior against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Judicial Magistrate Waqas Raja earlier reserved judgement on the physical remand of the arrested PTI leader and ordered him to be presented before court on Monday. He rejected the appeal for dismissal of the case against Fawad Chaudhry.
Earlier, following a wait on the court’s decision Fawad Chaudhry was brought before District and Sessions Court Islamabad with a towel covering his face.
Faisal Chaudhry asked the court to release Fawad Chaudhry from his handcuffs while Fawad Chaudhry’s attorney Babar Awan also questioned about the keys. The judge ruled that Fawad Chaudhry’s handcuffs should be unlocked.
Fawad Chaudhry stated that exercising his right to freedom of expression did not entail a democratic society. He said that influential individuals believed that criticizing them was a betrayal of the state. “I stand by what I’ve said, I know what I’ve stated and I maintain that this is my right,” he said.
Powerful individuals believe that criticizing them amounts to treason and history will decide who was right and who was wrong, PTI leader said. He asserted that if the Chief Election Commissioner could not tolerate criticism then he should not accept such positions.
According to the public prosecutor’s arguments a discharge application may only be filed if there is no evidence in the public record. Since there is enough evidence against Fawad Chaudhry the discharge application should be denied, prosecutor maintained.
The USB connected to the statement was also given to the court by Fawad Chaudhry’s attorney Babar Awan. Awan stated during the hearing that he could not say where individuals were taken nude and that he did not want to inform the court where people were taken from here.
A day earlier, the judicial magistrate had rejected a police request for an extension of the physical remand and instead remanded the former minister of information to the Adiala Jail on a 14-day judicial detention.
Following the conclusion of his two-day remand on Friday in the case brought by the secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the PTI bigwig was brought before the court in handcuffs.
