Journalist Siddique Jan was detained in connection with the violence and rioting that broke out outside the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC) when former premier Imran Khan attended a hearing regarding the Toshakhana case.
An Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted police a one-day physical remand of Jan on Tuesday.
The police picked up Jan, the head of Bol News’ Islamabad bureau, from his office yesterday and took him away in a private vehicle to an undisclosed location.
Jan was detained when a video that appeared to be from the day of the FJC altercations was circulated on social media.
Islamabad police on Tuesday announced that Jan had been detained over an “arson and siege” case involving the FJC that had been reported to the CTD Police Station.
The ICT tweeted, “Siddique Jan will be presented in court in time,” without providing a timeframe.
Later on in the day, police brought Jan before Judge Jawad Abbas in an ATC in Islamabad. The investigating officer (IO) asked the court to grant police a 10-day physical remand of January at the beginning of today’s hearings.
Judge Abbas questioned the justification given by police for the journalist’s 10-day detention. The prosecutor claimed that Jan then prevented police officers from performing their official duties.
The defense attorney for Jan, Advocate Mian Ali Ashfaq, stated that the charges could be released on bond. He argued that the situation didn’t need Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The judge ordered police to physically detain the journalist for one day after hearing arguments from both parties.
