Court sends Sheikh Rashid to jail on 14-day judicial remand

Islamabad: A local court in Islamabad on Saturday turned down the request of the police for extension in the physical remand of Awami Muslim League (AML) leader and former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and sent him to jail on 14-day judicial remand.

Judicial Magistrate Umar Shabbir passed the order after hearing arguments of both sides in the case registered against Sheikh Rashid over charges of accusing Asif Ali Zardari for a third plot for assassination of PTI Chief Imran Khan.

As the hearing commenced, the police produced Sheikh Rashid before the court and sought extension in the physical remand.

Sheikh Rashid told the court that the police mistreated him as they kept him blindfolded and tied him to a chair for three hours.

He asked the court to order the authorities concerned to take him to a hospital for bandage.

“Blood is there on my hand, court should send me to the hospital for a bandage,” asked the former interior minister.

At this, the court ordered to uncuff him.

Sheikh Rashid also asked the court to allow him Rangers’ security.

After hearing arguments of both sides, the court reserved the judgment and announced it later at 4pm.

The Awami Muslim League (AML) chief, who is a close aide of PTI chief Imran Khan, was arrested from his Rawalpindi residence in the early hours of Thursday and is currently on two-physical remand in a case of levelling allegations of setting a ‘murder plot’ for Imran Khan against Asif Ali Zardari.

AML chief Sheikh Rasheed was booked under three sections — 120B (criminal conspiracy), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief).

The PPP divisional president told the police that the AML chief tried to badmouth a former president and cause a “permanent danger” to the PPP co-chairman and his family.

He said that Rashid wanted to cause a fight between the PTI and the PPP and disrupt the country’s peace.

The PPP leader said that the AML chief claimed to have vital information regarding a “conspiracy” being hatched to assassinate the PTI chief.

Earlier, Rashid approached the Islamabad High Court and asked it to stop the police from shifting from Islamabad to Karachi in another case registered against him over charges of using abusive language against PPP Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto.

The case under sections 153, 500 and 504 has been registered against Sheikh Rasheed on the complaint of a PPP local leader.