ISLAMABAD: The hearing on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry’s bail plea is underway at a district and sessions court in Islamabad.
Fawad, who is facing sedition charges for publicly “threatening” the members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in a media talk, had filed the petition after he was sent on a 14-day judicial remand.
Fawad was arrested from his Lahore residence on Wednesday after a case was registered at the Kohsar Police Station on the complaint of ECP Secretary Omar Hameed.
He was sent to Adiala jail after the police’s plea for an extension in his physical remand was rejected on Friday.
Today’s hearing
At the outset of today’s hearing, Fawad’s counsel Babar Awan appeared before the court of Addition Session Judge Faizan Gillani for arguments on the bail plea.
“I am ready for the arguments on the petition,” Babar Awan said.
At this, the judge said he hasn’t received the case file and record and adjourned the proceedings till 10am.
Bail petition
The bail petition states that the PTI leader has “falsely been involved in the instant case by the complainant with the malafide intention and ulterior motives just to harass, pressurise and blackmail the present petitioner”.
It added that the allegations levelled in the FIR are “absolutely false, frivolous and baseless”. It also said that Fawad is “innocent and has no link or concern with the commission of the alleged offence.”
The petition also states that Fawad was arrested “unlawfully and without any justification in negation to the law.”
Police challenge decision against Fawad’s physical remand
Meanwhile, police challenged the Judicial Magistrate Waqas Ahmed Raja’s decision against the request for an extension of Fawad’s physical remand in the sedition case.
Fawad’s wife also attended the hearing at the district and sessions court in the federal capital.
The police in their plea requested the sessions judge to nullify the judicial magistrate’s decision and extend Fawad’s physical remand.
At this, Sessions Judge Tahir Mehmood Khan issued notices to the parties and adjourned the hearing till 10am.
This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.
