Islamabad court sends Fawad Chaudhry to jail on 14-day judicial remand

Islamabad [Pakistan], January 27 (ANI): An Islamabad district and sessions court on Friday sent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Fawad Chaudhry to Adiala jail on a 14-day judicial remand amidst raging political tension in Pakistan, Dawn reported.
The court on Wednesday night had granted police an initial two-day physical remand of Fawad, hours after he was arrested for "inciting violence against a constitutional institution".
Ahead of the hearing, heavy contingents of Frontier Corps personnel and police were deployed outside the court. Some PTI workers also clashed with policemen, according to Dawn.
Media personnel, former human rights minister Shireen Mazari and ex-SAPM Zulfi Bukhari among other PTI leaders were restrained by police from going inside the courtroom.
Earlier, the Islamabad Police had sought an eight-day physical remand of the PTI leader. During the time that the verdict was being reserved, the police took Fawad to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), where he underwent a medical examination and was declared fit, Geo News reported.
Following the order, the former federal information minister was transferred to the Counter-Terrorism Department's (CTD) complex in Sector H-11 by the capital's police.
However, Chaudhary has denied all charges and demanded the case's dismissal as it is "fraud and the FIR is a sham", Geo News reported.
Fawad's lawyers told the court that the charges were politically motivated and that because the PTI leader made the statements in Lahore, his case should have been filed there rather than in Islamabad.
Chaudhry was arrested from his house on Wednesday morning. His arrest came amid the nightlong turnout of PTI workers who descended upon party chairman Imran Khan's house to ensure his security.
A case was registered against Chaudhary last night at the Kohsar police station in Islamabad on the complaint of Election Commission Secretary Umar Hameed, Geo News reported.
Meanwhile, PTI Chief Imran Khan over the arrest of Chaudhary said that efforts were on to arrest and silence him. He, however, said he did not fear death or detention because he had seen death very closely, Pakistan based The News International Newspaper reported.
Khan while condemning Fawad Chaudhry's arrest, said the legal fraternity and judiciary should play their role in the current situation and that those who did not present him before the court must be held accountable. The country's future seems bleak, the way rulers are leading it, Khan said. He urged the nation to rise.
He further said that the people of Pakistan were the true heirs of its legacy adding that the country needed to be run under the principle of justice, which was also the base of the Medina state. (ANI)