An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Saturday granted the police a five-day physical remand of PTI founder Imran Khan’s nephew Shershah Khan in a case pertaining to the Jinnah House attack during the May 9, 2023 riots.
The Lahore Police arrested Shershah, son of Imran’s sister Aleema Khan, from outside his home on Friday. His brother Shahrez Khan, who was picked up on Thursday, was also handed over to police custody yesterday for eight days over the same allegations.
ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill presided over today’s hearing, where PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja appeared as Shershah’s counsel and Imtiaz Sipra as the prosecutor.
The prosecution sought a 30-day physical remand, while the defence counsel requested that the suspect be discharged from the case. Judge Gill then granted the police Shershah’s five-day custody.
On May 9, 2023, PTI supporters, protesting Imran’s arrest, staged violent protests throughout the country, vandalising military installations and state-owned buildings, while also attacking the Lahore corps commander’s residence.
Following the riots, the state launched a crackdown on the PTI, with thousands of protesters and top party leadership arrested. Scores of PTI leaders have recently been convicted in cases over the riots and disqualified from their parliamentary roles.
With both Shahrez and Shershah now in police custody, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it was “alarmed” by the arrest of Imran’s two nephews.
“The fact that the arrests were made 27 months after the incident is difficult to understand for any independent observer, having occurred at a time when the trials of other accused persons have been long underway or already concluded,” the HRCP said in a statement.
The commission said it was “deeply concerned about the further backsliding of citizens’ rights and expresses its disappointment in the policing and legal system, particularly when it comes to dealing with political opponents”.
“We demand that the authorities ensure transparency and the rule of law in all such matters,” the HRCP added.
Imran’s son Kasim Khan, who along with his brother Sulaiman has been more vocal in recent months about his imprisoned father, termed his cousins’ arrests as “blatant state repression”.
Shahrez’s wife, Maria, wrote on her newly made X account that the triathlete was in Chitral on May 9, 2023 at her family home.
She shared a purported image of the metadata of a group photo taken in Chitral that day of Shahrez with her family and friends.
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry defended the arrests yesterday, saying they could not be chalked off as “fake, fabricated [or] politically motivated”.
He asserted that both siblings were present at the scene of the Jinnah House vandalism.
ATC hearing
Similar to the request made in Shahrez’s case, the prosecution today sought Shershah’s 30-day physical remand in the Jinnah House attack case registered at the Sarwar Road police station.
“The suspect was present at the crime scene. A weapon was used at the site,” Sipra told the court, adding that Shershah was allegedly seen in a video from the incident.
“The suspect’s social media accounts have to be recovered,” he contended.
On the other hand, Raja argued that the arrest was “illegal”, noting it was made 27 months after the incident.
“The suspect had appeared in this same court yesterday with Shahrez and was arrested the same day,” the PTI counsel said. “Where was the police for 27 months?” he asked.
Raja, citing the Supreme Court’s previous directives related to videos, contended that a video had “no value [as evidence] till the person who recorded it appeared in court and spoke of its authenticity”.
Aleema’s lawyer, Advocate Rana Mudassir, detailed that Shershah was arrested while on his way home after appearing for his brother’s case hearing.
“This case is like Shahrez’s case. We request that the court discharge Shershah from the case,” Mudassir pleaded.