A court in Islamabad granted two-day physical remand of Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry to the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), following his arrest on charges of embezzlement and criminal intimidation.
The arrest came after a case was registered at the Aabpara police station on August 22, 2022, under sections 109, 186, 188, 341, and 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Chaudhry was taken into custody after a police raid on his residence in Islamabad. His family claimed he was “abducted from his house in Islamabad by officials in plainclothes when he was having breakfast.” He was brought to an Islamabad district and sessions court in an armored vehicle, his face covered with a cloth, and was seen handcuffed, according to television footage.
During the court hearing, Chaudhry’s lawyer requested permission to meet his client, which was granted by Duty Magistrate Abbas Shah.
The police contended that Chaudhry had promised a citizen named Zaheer a job in exchange for Rs0.5 million during his tenure as a federal minister but failed to fulfill the promise. Chaudhry, in his defense, stated that Zaheer did not appear in court and accused him of laziness.
He also cited health issues and requested access to a doctor.
Apart from Chaudhry, several other prominent political figures, including AML chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and PTI leaders Murad Saeed, Faisal Javaid Khan, Asad Umer, and others, were booked in the First Information Report (FIR) in connection with the case.
Chaudhry was one of the PTI leaders who left the party after the violence on May 9, which led to the arrest of PTI chief Imran Khan. Despite initially stating that he was taking a break from politics, Chaudhry was later seen at the launch of the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) led by Jahangir Khan Tareen. It remains unconfirmed whether Chaudhry has formally joined the IPP.
