News Desk
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday rejected the police’s request for 30-day physical remand of PTI leader and former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister Khalid Khurshid and sent him to jail on judicial remand in connection with a case registered over the November 26 protest.
Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain heard the case against Khurshid. During the hearing, Islamabad police produced the PTI leader before the court and sought his physical remand for 30 days.
However, the court turned down the request and directed that he be sent to judicial custody.
A case was registered against Khurshid, the president of the PTI’s GB chapter, at Aabpara Police Station in connection with the party’s November 26 protest in 2024.
The protest saw more than 10,000 PTI protesters surge into Islamabad, defying a ban on public gatherings and a lockdown to skirmish with 20,000 security forces enlisted to turn them back.
A day of clashes between security forces and protesters in the city’s Red Zone had ended in the PTI leadership’s hasty retreat, with the party announcing that it was calling off its planned protest sit-in “for the time being”. Subsequently, cases were registered against several PTI leaders under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Separately, former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Amin Gandapur has been taken into custody by law enforcement agencies.
A hearing was held at Islamabad’s District and Sessions Courts in the audio leak case registered against Gandapur at Golra Police Station.
During the hearing, his lawyer formally informed the court that Gandapur had already been arrested, making his appearance impossible. The case was heard by Additional District and Sessions Judge Hakim Khan Bhakar.
At the outset, Raja Zahoor Advocate appeared before the court on Gandapur’s behalf. Co-accused Farooq also appeared before the court.
Defence lawyer Raja Zahoor told the court that Gandapur had intended to appear in court today in compliance with the law, but was unable to do so because he had already been arrested.
During the hearing, Raja Zahoor argued that since the accused was already in custody, issuing arrest warrants again would serve no administrative or legal purpose.
The statements of witnesses could also not be recorded because of Gandapur’s absence and security concerns. The court therefore postponed the recording of witness testimony until the next hearing. The court, after hearing arguments from both sides, adjourned further proceedings in the audio leak case against Gandapur until 27 November.
The case was registered against him at Islamabad’s Golra Police Station in connection with audio leaks and remains pending before the sessions court.
In a separate development, the court also discharged PTI workers arrested in connection with two cases linked to the party’s recent long march after rejecting a request by the investigating officer for an adjournment to conduct their identification parade.