A District and Sessions Court in Mardan remanded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser to judicial custody on Sunday.
The decision came in the backdrop of a case related to the tumultuous protests that spread across the country on May 9.
On May 9, Imran Khan arrested for his alleged involvement in corruption which triggered the countrywide protests that turned violent and led to burning of sensitive installations and defiling of memorials of martyrs.
Since then, the state has tightened noose around the PTI which saw eventually departure of several key leaders including former chief minister Pervaz Khattak, Farrukh Habib, Fawad Chaudhary and many others.
As the PTI leader, Asad Qaiser, stood before the court in Mardan on Sunday, the proceedings took an interesting twist.
The police, during the hearing, submitted a formal request seeking Qaiser’s physical remand. However, the court, after careful consideration, rebuffed the police’s plea for the physical remand of the former National Assembly speaker and, instead, opted to send the PTI leader to jail.
This development followed closely on the heels of a recent bail grant to Asad Qaiser by a session court the other day.
The Mardan District and Sessions Courts Judge, Mohammad Zaib, had accorded bail to Qaiser against surety bonds amounting to Rs100,000. Yet, immediately after his release from the central prison, the PTI leader found himself back in custody.
The police, justifying the re-arrest, pointed to Qaiser’s suspected involvement in an incident involving the attack on a store.
It’s worth noting that Asad Qaiser, entangled in legal woes, was initially apprehended from Bani Gala, Islamabad, on November 3.
The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) had booked him over allegations of corruption related to the procurement of equipment for Gajju Khan Medical College in Swabi.
