WEB DESK
As a judicial magistrate in Islamabad approved two-day physical remand of senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry, his party chief came out to bat for him, writing to the Chief Justice of Pakistan and asking him to ensure that no harm should befall the former information minister while in custody.
Former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday wrote to Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, urging him to protect the fundamental rights of senior leader Fawad Chaudhry while he remains in police custody.
Fawad was given into police custody for two days on Saturday after police claimed they need him to continue their investigations into the threats he made to members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and their families.
“This is to bring to your kind notice that VP of PTI and member of Supreme Court Bar Association Fawad Chaudhary is under arrest and in custody of Islamabad Police.”
He said previously two senior PTI officer bearers including [Senator] Azam Swati and [Imran’s Chief of Staff] Shehbaz Gill had been subjected to custodial torture.
“My worry is that Fawad Chaudhary will be subjected to similar inhumane treatment violating articles 9, 10A and 14 of our Constitution,” Imran Khan stated in the handwritten letter.
The former premier called upon the chief justice as the custodian of the Constitution of Pakistan, which protects the fundamental rights of all Pakistanis, “I request you to ensure that honor and dignity of the Fawad Chaudhary is not violated while in place custody.”
It is pertinent to note that on Saturday evening, Judge Waqas Raja, a judicial magistrate in Islamabad’s district court, granted police another two days of physical remand for PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry and directed police to present the accused before the court again on Monday.
