Court allows two-day physical remand of Fawad Chaudhary in ECP threats case

Islamabad: A district and sessions court in Islamabad Wednesday allowed two-day physical remand of PTI leader Fawad Chaudhary in the sedition case.

A duty judge announced the reserved verdict after hearing arguments of both sides.

The court rejected the police’s request for eight-day physical remand in the said the case.

As the hearing commenced, Islamabad police produced PTI leader Fawad Chaudhary with covered face while the ECP lawyer was also present there.

Arguing on the matter, the counsel representing the ECP submitted that the ECP was a “constitutional institution”. He said that that it had the authority to hold polls.

The ECP’s lawyer said, “The commission has been targeted under a plan,”.

He also argue that the objective of Fawad's press conference was to incite the general public, and he had also threatened the commission's family members.

He said that he delivered such a speech which could fan hatred against the election commission.

“We also have electronic evidence against Fawad Chaudhry,” said the ECP lawyer, adding that  Fawad also accepted that he had accepted that he made the threats.

He also stated that the PTI also ran a campaign against the commission and argued that the police should be allowed to look into the statements of the former minister.

The lawyer who was representing Fawad Chaudhary argued that the charges were politically motivated and since the PTI leader made the statements in Lahore, his case should have been registered in the city and not Islamabad.

He also said that  Fawad was arrested from his Lahore residence earlier today.

It may be mentioned here that Fawad was arrested from his Lahore residence after he  "threatened" the members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and their families in a media talk on Thursday.

Islamabad police shifted him to Islamabad after securing his transitory remand from a local court in Lahore. Meanwhile, the LHC turned the petitions challenging arrest of Fawad Chaudhary, holding that “his arrest is not illegal”.

Fawad Chaudhary also argued before the court in Islamabad that a sedition charge was also added in the FIR against him. "I have been included in the ranks of Nelson Mandela."

He said that such cases were made against those who speak of independence. "If they keep resorting to such measures, then democracy cannot survive here and no one will be able to criticise [institutions]."

Fawad was of the view  that if people were not allowed to criticise the election commission, it meant that they could not criticise anyone.

“They [the ECP and others] thought it equal to treason but it is not that,”.

He said that he was not making the speech rather it was a media talk.

“I was misquoted,” he added.

“I am a senior lawyer, parliamentarian, and a former federal minister. I am not a terrorist. Moreover, the investigation officer did not interrogate me," the PTI leader told the judge.

He also said that he was the party's spokesperson and he had to inform the public about its policy.  He also claimed that his phone was confiscated by the police and later he was handed over to Islamabad police.

The PTI leader also told the court that his arrest was against the law and criticized the government by saying that it targeted its opponents.  He further submitted that that there were always ups and downs in politics. He asked the court to dismiss the case against him.