Sheikh Rashid Ahmed sent on two-day physical remand
ISLAMABAD, Feb 02 (SABAH): A local court in Islamabad on Thursday approved a two-day physical remand of Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief and former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed in a case registered against him for leveling allegations against former president and Co-Chairman of Pakistan People’s Party Asif Ali Zardari.
The former minister, who is a close aide of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, was arrested from Murree Motorway, police confirmed on Thursday morning.
Judicial Magistrate Umar Shabbir rejected the police’s plea to send Sheikh Rashid on an eight-day physical remand and asked the authorities to produce the former interior minister at the next hearing.
Sheikh Rashid Ahmed was arrested on a police complaint filed by Raja Inayatur Rehman, the vice president of PPP Rawalpindi Division, wherein he said that the AML chief, in a television interview on Jan 27, alleged that Asif Ali Zardari got the assistance of some terrorists to plan Imran Khan’s murder.
At the outset of the hearing on Thursday, the prosecutor presented the case record in the court and the police requested the court for Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s eight-day remand.
The AML chief asked, “First, open my handcuffs.” He lamented, “I have been a minister 16 times. Why isn’t the handcuff being opened? They’ve put it on for the whole night.” Accepting his demand, the police opened the handcuffs.
Upon Prosecutor Adnan reading out the case registered against Ahmed, the judge asked, “Show me that sentence in the case where Section 120 is applicable.”
The prosecutor asserted, “Sheikh Rashid is creating danger for Asif Zardari’s family. According to the sections, Sheikh Rashid can be sentenced to seven years in jail and be fined.”
He argued, “Sheikh Rashid gave the statement that Asif Ali Zardari has conspired to kill Imran Khan. In Pakistan, people can be ready to slit throats at the smallest things.
“Imran Khan has been attacked previously as well. There has been an attempt to create incitement between the parties of Imran Khan and Asif Zardari. Asif Zardari and his family’s life is at risk.” The prosecutor then requested a physical remand of the AML chief.
The judge then asked, “Has Asif Zardari told you that he’s in danger?” The prosecutor responded that Ahmed has given the statement himself.
Prosecutor Adnan then closed his arguments by asserting that Ahmed’s voice-matching test needs to be conducted by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and a photogrammetric test is needed as well, emphasising that they were “incredibly important” during the trial.
Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s lawyers, Abdur Razzaq and Intizar Panjhota, then presented their arguments.
“The season of political vendetta is ongoing and Sheikh Rashid was made its target,” he said. “Political parties criticise each other every other day. If such cases keep being registered, then no politician will be able to talk.”
He argued that cases registered under Sections 505 and 153 could only be registered by the federal or provincial government. He further said that a PPP worker had filed the case and not Zardari.
He repeated Ahmed’s claims about the police ransacking his house and misbehaving with the employees, stating that police had arrested his client in Rawalpindi without a warrant.
Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s other lawyer, Panjhota, argued that the prosecution was seeking physical remand just for recording a statement. “Physical remand cannot be granted just for recording a statement.”
For his part, the AML chief told the court that a plan was being prepared to either send the PTI chief to jail or to disqualify him prior to elections.
He argued that giving statements to the media was “also my salary in a way”.
“Imran Khan told me he has evidence that Zardari wants to kill him [so] I said that Imran has evidence against Zardari […] You can file a defamation case against me [instead],” he said, adding that he considered Imran’s claims to be true. The court reserved the verdict after hearing the arguments.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Rawalpindi Division President Raja Inayatur Rehman had filed a case against Rashid in Islamabad’s Aabpara Police Station for alleging that former president Asif Ali Zardari was hatching a plot to assassinate the PTI chief.
In the FIR, the PPP divisional president stated that the AML chief tried to badmouth a former president and cause a “permanent danger” to the PPP co-chairman and his family.
The FIR added that Rashid, with his allegations, wants to cause a fight between the PTI and the PPP and disrupt the country’s peace.
The PPP leader added that the AML chief claimed to have vital information regarding a “conspiracy” being hatched to assassinate the PTI chief.
“If that’s the case, then the police should take both the leaders into custody under Section 150 and 151 and foil the conspiracy” to stop the spread of unrest in the country, he added.
Three sections — 120B (criminal conspiracy), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) — have been added to the FIR.
Moreover, police told journalists that a bottle of liquor and a weapon has been recovered from Rashid’s possession. Police also said that the former interior minister was “intoxicated” when he was arrested.
Initially, the Murree Police had arrested him and later they handed him over to the Islamabad Police, who shifted him to the Aabpara Police Station, where the case has been registered.
Sheikh Rashid is also embattled in another case of “illegal occupation” as the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) had sealed Lal Haveli — his residence — and five adjoining units on January 30. On the same day, the Lahore High Court ordered to de-seal the property.
The former minister was shifted to the Secretariat police station after his medical checkup at the Polyclinic hospital.
Talking to the media after his arrest, Sheikh Rashid claimed that police had not arrested him from the motorway but from his residence.
“My crime is that I’m standing with Imran Khan,” he said at the Polyclinic hospital in Islamabad, where he was taken for medical checkup.
“I have been a minister 16 times. Never for a single time, I have been charged with corruption in these ministries,” he added.
The former interior minister claimed that at least “100 to 200 armed people” raided his residence.
“They entered the house through ladders, broke the doors and windows of the house, and beat my servants.”
The former interior minister said police forcibly hustled him into their vehicle. He said the police arrested him despite the fact that a court granted him bail and ordered the inspector-general of police to appear before the court on February 6.
Sheikh Rashid alleged that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan is behind his arrest. However, he said that truth would prevail at the end of the day and he stands by Khan — in whose cabinet he served as the interior minister.
In response, the former prime minister Imran Khan condemned the arrest of his close aide and blamed the interim Punjab government — led by media mogul Moshin Naqvi — for being biased.
“Never in our history have we had such a biased, vindictive caretaker govt [appointed] by totally discredited ECP [Election Commission of Pakistan],” the ex-premier said.
“Question is can Pak afford a street movement which we are being pushed towards at a time when Imported Govt has bankrupted us?” he asked.
Meanwhile responding to Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s claims, the Islamabad Police tweeted a clarification stating, “There were no children present at Sheikh Rashid’s home. Neither were any glasses broken nor anything was ransacked.”
It claimed the AML chief had misbehaved with police officials and used foul language against them. The police asserted neither Ahmed nor any employee present at his home was “mistreated in any way”.
It went on to “strongly condemn negative propaganda” and asked for “protests inside and outside the courts to be held in accordance with the law”.
The statement asserted that Ahmed “would not be hurt in any way” and the police had shown patience even after the AML chief’s misbehaviour.