Rawalpindi court rejects police plea for Qureshi’s custody, sends him on judicial remand in fresh May 9 case

A Rawalpindi court on Thursday rejected the Punjab police’s plea seeking PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s custody and sent the former foreign minister to jail on 14-day judicial remand in a fresh case linked to May 9 riots.

The development comes a day after Qureshi was manhandled and re-arrested outside Adiala Jail in connection with an attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on May 9 — when widespread protests erupted across the country after ex-premier Imran Khan’s arrest.

Media reports said the PTI leader was also implicated in a dozen similar cases.

Qureshi was released from Adiala Jail on Wednesday after the Supreme Court had approved his post-arrest bail in the cipher case. However, the PTI leader, who tried to talk to the Punjab police on multiple occasions, was pushed and whisked away from the prison. The PTI leader was initially moved to the Cantt police station by the police, who maltreated him.

Today, Qureshi was presented before the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Syed Jahangir Ali. A video shared by the PTI on social media showed policemen escorting a hand-cuffed Qureshi.

In another video, after the hearing concluded, Qureshi could be seen lifting his hands to pose for a victory sign as he was being taken away by the police. According to the PTI, he also shouted slogans in favour of Imran Khan.

Was ‘mentally and physically tortured’ in prison last night: Qureshi

As the hearing commenced, Qureshi said he wanted to record his statement before the court. He highlighted that three judges of the apex court had approved his bail against surety bonds.

However, the PTI leader highlighted that before he could obtain the robkar (release order), it emerged that orders had been issued to detain Qureshi under the Maintenance of Public Order.

“How am I a threat to the public? I have been in jail for several months,” Qureshi said. He added that he had been told in Adiala Jail that the MPO orders against him would be withdrawn but the date was later extended to Dec 27 instead of Dec 26.

Qureshi said he had been detained from inside Adiala Jail illegally, highlighting that he had been a member of the Parliament five times. The PTI leader further stated that police officials had kicked and ridiculed him, claiming that he wasn’t taken to a doctor despite chest pains.

“A team came to me saying that they wanted to record a statement on the May 9 violence. These people want to nominate me in cases related to May 9,” he said. “I was in Karachi on May 9 … my wife was undergoing surgery (that day).”

The PTI vice chairman also alleged that he was kept in a cold cell last night and wasn’t allowed to sleep. “I was tortured mentally and physically,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor sought a three-day physical remand of Qureshi. He argued that remand in terrorism cases could be taken for even 90 days, adding that he had reports from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority.

“We found evidence against Qureshi [in the reports],” he said, adding that evidence was also collected from social media and the same was presented in court.

Prosecutor Akram Amin contended that the PTI leader’s speech on May 9 was not ordinary. “We are not saying that Qureshi was among those who attacked GHQ … we are saying he made a speech that led to the GHQ attack,” he claimed.

He added that during the remand, the police would investigate the effects of Qureshi’s speech and conduct photogrammetric tests. Subsequently, Amin sought the PTI leader’s custody until Jan 2.

On the other hand, Qureshi’s lawyer Ali Bukhari requested the court to discharge his client from the case. He also raised objections to bringing the PTI leader to court in handcuffs.

“The prosecution just has a single tweet against my client in which he had urged the public to protest with the PTI chairman,” he said, adding that Qureshi was kept in “unlawful custody” for 24 hours.

Bukhari further stated that the purpose of physical remand was to “torture”. He said punishments could not be given in supplementary cases, pointing out that the police had not written Qureshi’s name on the charge sheet.

At one point, Qureshi, while mentioning his contributions to Pakistan, became emotional and said he had fought for the country’s institutions in the world. “Is this justice?” he asked.

At that, the judge ordered the police to remove Qureshi’s handcuffs. The PTI leader also said that he could swear upon the Holy Quran that he was not in Rawalpindi, or Punjab, on May 9.

After hearing the arguments, the court reserved its verdict on the police plea seeking Qureshi’s three-day physical remand.

‘Why are you scared of Shah sahib?’

Speaking to media persons ahead of the hearing, the PTI leader’s daughter Meher Bano Qureshi expressed displeasure at the security arrangement made outside the court. “It seems as if they are presenting a terrorist,” she said.

“What are you scared of? What can Shah sahib say? Why is the media being kept away?” she asked.

Meher Bano noted that security at the judicial complex had been beefed up in an unusual manner. “Technically, no one is allowed to enter the Judicial Complex,” she pointed out, adding that the police’s behaviour was disappointing.

Talking about yesterday’s arrest, she said the scenes had created a “joke out of Pakistan in a neighbouring country”. “Even the neighbouring country would be wondering how a former foreign minister is being treated,” Meher Bano added.

Rabbani condemns manhandling of Qureshi

Separately, in a statement issued today, PPP Senator Raza Rabbani strongly condemned the police’s manhandling of Qureshi a day earlier.

He said that regardless of the fact that the PTI leader was a politician and former foreign minister, Qureshi was, above all, a citizen of Pakistan and deserved “the highest degree of respect”.

“The police treat citizens as if they are enemies of the state,” Rabbani stated, noting that the manner in which Qureshi was “bundled into the police van was despicable”.

“It appears that civil servants and police have not shed the colonial mindset of governance and treat citizens as if they have to be humiliated,” the PPP senator said.

He recalled that another such incident was witnessed in Islamabad two days back when peaceful Baloch protesters, men and women, were brutally assaulted and arrested.

“Such incidents with citizens are a normal occurrence in smaller towns and rural areas,” Rabbani added. He further demanded that officers responsible for such actions against unarmed civilians should be removed from service to set an example.

Additional input from Nadir Guramani