D-Chowk protest: ATC rejects physical remand of 146 suspects

ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday rejected the plea for physical remand of 146 suspects arrested after D-Chowk protest by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra heard the case in which police presented 146 suspects arrested after D-Chowk violent protest.

At the outset of the hearing, the court was told that the arrested suspects were labourers who were already with police on 10-day physical remand.

The police requested the extension in physical demand but the court rejected it and handed the accused over to the jail authorities on judicial remand.

The ATC judge also asked the lawyers of the arrested suspects to file bail plea if they wanted.

A number of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders and workers were arrested following D-Chowk protest on November 26.

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Prominent figures facing arrest warrants include PTI founder’s wife Bushra Bibi, Barrister Gohar, Shoaib Shaheen, Ali Bukhari, and Aamir Mughal. Other PTI leaders such as Omar Ayub, Khalid Khurshid, Faisal Javed, and Sher Afzal Marwat are also among those named.

Additionally, the court has issued warrants for sitting MNA Abdul Latif, former provincial minister Riaz Khan, and other notable figures, including Ali Zaman, Pir Masoor, Khaliqur Rehman, Sohail Afridi, and Shahram Khan Tarakai.

The list of accused also includes high-profile names like Zulfi Bukhari, Murad Saeed, Rauf Hassan, Mushtaq Ullah, Rashid Tipu, and Salman Akram Raja. Police have stated that these warrants are part of efforts to advance the investigation into alleged unlawful activities during the D-Chowk protest.