An anti-terrorism court on Monday sent 30 activists of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) to prison in a rioting case lodged after violent clashes between them and police as the party tried to hold a sit-in near the Sindh Assembly on Saturday.
The investigation officer (IO) produced the held activists before the administrative judge of the ATCs at the judicial complex inside the central prison to seek their physical remand. However, the JI’s lawyers opposed the police’s plea, arguing that the FIR did not mention anything that could create fear to attract terror charges. They said that protest was a public right, requesting the judge to discharge the workers from the case.
After hearing the IO and the lawyers, the judge sent the JI workers to jail on judicial remand with a direction to the investigation officer to submit a charge-sheet within the stipulated time. A day earlier, the IO had obtained one-day transit remand of the workers from a duty magistrate.
The FIR was lodged at the Arambagh police station under the Sections 147 (rioting), 324 (attempted murder), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with the Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The FIR alleged that senior party leaders, including Sufiyan Dilawar, Usman Sharif, Faizan, Jawad Shoaib, along with others, were supervising the protest and delivering speeches that incited participants. According to the complaint, protesters armed with sticks, batons and weapons turned violent, attacked police personnel and damaged public property.
