FAISALABAD, July 12: Judicial Magistrate Shahbaz Ranjha granted on Friday another remand of three days of prayer leader and his two accomplices who allegedly attacked an American National in Jaranwala.

Reports said the Jaranwala police presented Chak 111-JB mosque prayer leader Hafiz Abdul Latif and his accomplices Muhammad Asim and Zubair Usman before the area judicial magistrate after the expiry of the four-day remand granted by the court.

The police requested the court to grant physical remand of the accused as they were still reluctant to identify their accomplices, to state motive of the attack and for not cooperating with the police in the recovery of weapons used in attack on Afraz Javed (not Faraz Javed as reported earlier).

Two lawyers of the accused reportedly requested the court to send them to jail so that the bail applications could be moved for their release.

However, the judge granted three-day remand of the accused instead of seven days remand requested by the police.

Refuting the claim, the prosecuting inspector said they had not committed any crime and were implicated in false cases.

A mob, headed by the prayer leader, last Saturday attacked one Muhammad Naseem’s house where Afraz Javed was residing. They alleged Javed committed blasphemy by objecting to the speech of the prayer leader during the Friday sermon.

A case was registered against the prayer leader and his accomplices.

Talking to Dawn, the accused claimed they had not committed any serious crime as alleged by the police and Javed.

Accused Zubair said they, following the Islamic tradition, requested the aggrieved party to pardon them, if they had committed any crime. However, he claimed the family did not accept the request.