LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday extended the physical remand of PTI leader Hammad Azhar for another seven days in the 2023 Jinnah House attack case.
Sarwar Road police had booked several PTI leaders and workers on charges of attacking and vandalising the Jinnah House, which also serves as the residence of the corps commander, during the May 9, 2023 protests against the arrest of ex-premier Imran Khan.
On Monday, police produced the former federal finance minister before ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill upon the completion of his 21-day physical remand.
During the hearing, a state prosecutor said police needed further remand to recover the suspect’s mobile phone and SIM, describing them as important pieces of evidence. He urged the court to extend the remand for a further seven days.
Speaking before the court, Azhar questioned why further remand was being sought, saying he had already been kept on physical remand for 21 days in an alleged occurrence where he said he was not even present.
“Even a murder suspect is sent on 14-day remand here. Has my offence become more serious than murder?” he asked.
The former minister also complained that he had earlier not been allowed to meet his lawyers or family members — a concern also voiced earlier by his family before a court.
The ATC then reserved its decision on the prosecution’s request for further remand, and later announced its decision, granting the police Azhar’s remand for another seven days.
Meeting with family allowed, LHC told
Separately, a two-member Lahore High Court (LHC) bench headed by Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi disposed of a petition filed by Azhar’s mother and wife against the alleged denial of access to him during police custody.
A Lahore ATC had already disposed of a similar plea filed by the family, directing them to approach the police on the matter.
A Punjab government lawyer informed the LHC bench that Azhar had been allowed to meet his mother and wife.
The law officer further said that the PTI leader would also meet his lawyer at the trial court on Monday.
Relying on the government lawyer’s statement, the bench disposed of the petition.
According to his family, Azhar was arrested on Sept 5. However, police said the next day they were unaware of his arrest, prompting the PTI leader’s mother to approach the LHC on Sept 7, and he was produced before an ATC the same day.
Azhar, the son of late former Punjab governor Mian Muhammad Azhar, has been declared a proclaimed offender by multiple anti-terrorism courts for not joining the proceedings against him in cases related to the May 9 riots.
Azhar had reappeared in public on May 22, 2024, a year after he had gone into hiding when the state launched a crackdown against the party leadership following the violent incidents of May 9. At the time, the PTI leader had evaded arrest when the Counter-Terrorism Department raided the party’s secretariat in Islamabad.
