ISLAMABAD: A local court in Islamabad on Thursday granted two-day physical remand against Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed in a case against former President 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 this morning, in a move that drew sharp criticism from the former prime minister.
Judicial Magistrate Umar Shabbir rejected the request of the police to send Rashid to 8-day physical remand and asked the authorities to produce the former interior minister at the next hearing.
Today’s hearing
At the start of the hearing, Rashid asked that his handcuffs be removed. He told the court that he has been appointed to the post of federal minister at least 16 times.
After which the police opened the handcuffs of Rashid on the order of the court.
Former interior minister’s lawyer Abdul Razzaq started his arguments by saying that Rasheed has been targeted in the case on political grounds.
The case against Rashid was registered at 8 pm, the police arrested Rashid against the High Court order, instead of arresting Rashid, the police should have called Asif Zardari to the station.
The lawyer added that the FIR stated that the former minister wanted to create conflict between the two groups. However, the names of PPP and PTI were not mentioned, he said.
He said that political parties criticize each other every day, if such cases are registered, no politician will be able to speak.
He added that only the provincial or federal government can file cases under sections 153A and 505 – not a political party worker.
The prosecutor then told the court that Rashid tried to create “threats” for Zardari’s family members. He further said that according to the charges, Rashid could be sentenced to seven years in prison.
“Rashid had alleged that Zardari was plotting to kill Imran,” he said, adding that Pakistan has fierce battles over petty allegations. He further said that Rasheed made this statement to incite the workers of both the parties.
Arrest
The police claimed to have arrested Rashid from Murree Road on Thursday morning. However, the former interior minister and his nephew Sheikh Rashid Shafiq denied the police’s stand and said that the authorities did not detain him from the motorway but from his house in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Rawalpindi Division President Raja Inayat-ur-Rehman had registered a case against Rashid at Islamabad’s Abpara police station, alleging that former President Asif Ali Zardari had killed the PTI chief. They are plotting.
In the FIR, the PPP divisional president said the AML chief tried to malign the former president and create “constant danger” to the PPP co-chairman and his family. .
FIR
The FIR further stated that Rasheed wants to disrupt the fight between PTI and PPP and the peace of the country with his allegations.
The PPP leader added that the AML chief claimed to have important information about the “conspiracy” to kill the PTI chief.
“If so, the police should arrest the two leaders under Sections 150 and 151 and foil the conspiracy to prevent the spread of unrest in the country,” he added.
Three sections – 120B (criminal conspiracy), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), and 505 (statements inciting public disorder) – have been added to the FIR.
Besides, the police told the journalists that a bottle of alcohol and a weapon were recovered from Rashid’s possession. The police also said that the former home minister was ‘intoxicated’ when he was arrested.
He was initially arrested by the Murree police, later they handed him over to the Islamabad police, who shifted him to the Abpara police station, where a case has been registered.
Rashid is also embroiled in another case of “illegal possession” as the Abandoned Property Board (ETPB) sealed Lal Haveli — his residence — and five adjoining units on January 30. On the same day, the Lahore High Court ordered to seal the property.
The former minister was shifted to the Secretariat Police Station after a medical check-up at the Polyclinic Hospital.
Police arrested me from my residence: Rashid
Talking to the media after his arrest, Rashid claimed that the police did not arrest him from the motorway but from his residence.
Rashid said he feared for his life.
“My crime is that I stand with Imran Khan,” he said at Islamabad’s Polyclinic Hospital, where he was taken for a medical check-up.
He further said that I have been a minister 16 times, not even once, I have been accused of corruption in these ministries.
The former interior minister claimed that at least “100 to 200 armed men” raided his residence.
“They entered the house by the stairs, broke the doors and windows of the house, and beat my servants.”
The former interior minister said that the police forced him into his car. He said the police arrested him despite the fact that the court granted him bail and ordered the Inspector General of Police to appear in court on February 6.
Rashid alleged that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah was behind his arrest. However, he said that at the end of the day truth would prevail and he stood by Khan – in whose cabinet he served as home minister.
Imran Khan criticized ‘biased’ Interim Chief Minister of Punjab
In response, the former prime minister condemned the arrest of his close aide and blamed the caretaker government of Punjab – headed by media mogul Mosheen Naqvi.
“Never in our history has there been such a biased, vindictive caretaker government that was [appointed] entirely by the infamous ECP [Election Commission of Pakistan],” the former prime minister said.
“The question is, can Pakistan afford the road movement we are being pushed towards at a time when the imported government has bankrupted us?” he asked.
Allegations
The PTI chairman had alleged in January that Zardari was planning as well as financing an assassination attempt against him for which the former president had hired “terrorists”.
The PTI chief alleged that “…there is a plan C. Asif Zardari is behind it. He has collected a lot of money through corruption and he has invested this money in terrorists and a have hired a militant outfit,” the PTI chief had alleged. However, the PPP strongly denied the claim and sent a legal notice to Khan.
After the allegations leveled by Khan, Rashid also supported the claims and supported the allegations.
