Day after denial, another court sends Fawad Ch on 2-day remand

ConTinUEd from pAgE 01

The prosecutor insisted that there was ample electronic material” available against the accused

Babar Awan, however, argued that his client was being deprived of his fundamental right to meet his family and legal team

He cited a case of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav and said Fawad Ch was denied the provision that the mother of the convicted Indian naval official was given

Awan said his client could not be produced despite the court orders He also opposed the police request seeking to take Chaudhry to Lahore saying it is not a video leak case” to determine the physical features of the detainee During the hearing, the judge asked the prosecution about the investigation conducted during the two-day physical remand of the PTI leader To which, he responded that investigators “practically got one day” to grill the suspect We need to conduct a photogrammetric test on the detainee,” the officer told the court

Awan objected to the non-appearance of the investigation officer He argued that his team had not been given any prior notice by the police seeking to challenge the court orders

Stipend disbursement ceremony held at Universit y of Turbat

QUETTA

A stipend distribution ceremony was organized by Virtual University of Pakistan and University of Turbat at the Faculty of Legal Education here on Saturday for the successful trainees in various digital skills under the IGNITE-funded Project entitled “Digital Skills Training & Support Program for Southern Balochistan under the patronage of Ministry of IT & Telecommunication Mr Sadiq Iftikhar, State Minister for IT & Telecom was the Chief Guest of the event while Ex Chief Minister of Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, and Advisor to CM Baluchistan Mr Lala Rasheed Dashti graced the ceremony as guest of honor Speaking on the occasion the state minister said, “I am proud to see so dedicated people towards learning and education in this region I am happy to know that Makran Division stands at eighth position in literacy in Pakistan while Turbat stands at first in Balochistan," he said He emphasized the need for taking joint efforts for the promotion of IT education in this part of the country The state minister urged the importance of digital skills and the role of IT ministry He appreciated the IGNITE, Virtual University, University of Turbat, University of Gwadar and BUET Khuzdar on the successful execution of the project in Balochistan In his welcome speech, Prof Dr Jan Muhammad, Vice Chancellor University of Turbat acknowledged the role of Virtual University, Ignite and the Ministry of IT & Telecommunication in enhancing IT facilities in Southern Balochistan He requested the federal and provincial governments to pay special attention to this underdeveloped and far-flung region of the country in order to raise the living standard of the people He hoped that collaborative initiatives between Turbat University Virtual University and IGNITE' would greatly benefit the youth of Southern Balochistan

“This country has become a banana republic,” he contended After hearing arguments the court asked police to produce the PTI leader before the court, saying the production of the suspect was mandatory in a plea seeking an extension in physical remand h E a r i n g o n b a i l p l E a: At the same time, an additional district and sessions court heard a post-arrest bail petition filed by the PTI leader Babar Awan and Ali Bukhari, the counsels for Fawad CH turned up before the court Judge Gillani informed the PTI legal team that the police investigator had told the court they have challenged the court’s rejection of their petition to extend the physical remand of the PTI leader

We did not get any notice The investigators should have informed us,” Awan responded

The judge said the information had now been conveyed through the court anyway

In his plea, the PTI leader contended that the allegations levelled against him in the FIR were false, frivolous and baseless He said the case against him was based on mala fide, alleging that the government was trying to “blackmail” him ‘l aw o f t h E j u n g l E n o w p r E va i l s’

PTI chief Imran Khan reacted to the proceedings criticising how Fawad was taken to court handcuffed and head covered like a terrorist He said it showed the “low and vindictive levels imported govt and state have reached”

He added that the treatment of Chaudhry Azam Swati and Shahbaz Gill leaves no doubt in people’s minds that the country was now a “banana republic”

In a follow-up tweet Imran said: The law of the jungle now prevails where might is right and the Constitution and law of the land have been totally subjugated by the Pharaohs of today p t i c h a i r m a n w r i t E s to c j p: Meanwhile, former prime minister Imran Khan on Saturday wrote a letter to Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, asking him to protect Fawad’s fundamental rights

In the letter, Imran stated how his former chief of staff Shehbaz Gill, and party leader Senator Azam Swati were meted out violent and inhumane treatment while under police custody

This is an appeal to the Chief Justice of Pakistan as the custodian of the Constitution to protect the dignity and honor of the detainees,” he wrote, highlighting that torture or indignity to detainees is a violation of Articles 9 10A and 14 of the Constitution