Islamabad court rejects Sheikh Rasheed’s bail plea

ISLAMABAD: A local court in Islamabad on Tuesday rejected Awami Muslim League (AML) chief and former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed’s post-arrest bail plea in a case related to levelling allegations against former president Asif Ali Zardari, ARY News reported.

Judicial Magistrate Umer Shabbir pronounced the verdict which he reserved earlier today.

Judicial Magistrate Umar Shabbir heard the case, while Rasheed’s lawyer Sardar Abdur Razzaq and Intezar Panjhota appeared before the court.

During today’s hearing, Rasheed’s counsel maintained that his client only quoted the former premier, who is facing life threats. “Sheikh Rasheed did not hurled accusations against Zardari but he only quoted Imran Khan.”

He also raised questions about swift action against the former interior minister.

Rasheed’s counsel maintained that investigators have not found anything suspicious during the physical remand of Rasheed.

However, the court in its verdict allowed the AML chief to sign his nomination papers for the NA-60 and NA-62 by-polls.

Rasheed, who is a close aide of PTI chairman Imran Khan, is currently on a 14-day judicial remand.

The FIR

The Awami Muslim League (AML) chief was arrested from his Rawalpindi residence in the early hours of last 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).

In the FIR, the PPP divisional president stated that the AML chief tried to badmouth a former president and cause a “permanent danger” to the PPP co-chairman and his family.

With his provocatory allegations, the FIR added that Rasheed wants to cause a fight between the PTI and the PPP and disrupt the country’s peace.

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