RAWALPINDI, March 25: The special anti-terrorism court (ATC) No-1 here on Thursday extended the physical remand of former MNA Nawab Amanullah Khan Sial in Maulana Azam Tariq murder case for another four days.

Golra police had produced Amanullah Sial, one of the three accused in the case, before the ATC-1 judge, Manzoor Ahmed Mirza, after the completion of his five-day remand in police custody.

The police had sought another five-day remand on the plea that they wanted to recover the arms allegedly used by the accused to carry out the assassination. However, the court granted only four-day remand.

The accused will now be produced before the court on Monday. Mr Sial, Allama Sajid Ali Naqvi, chief of the banned Islami Tehrik Pakistan (ITP), and Allama Syed Sabtain Ali Kazmi are nominated in the FIR registered by Golra Police Station in the murder of Maulana Azam Tariq, his three guards and a driver. Mr Kazmi is still at large.

According to the prosecution witnesses, who had recorded their statements, Mr Sial and Mr Kazmi along with Allama Sajid Naqvi had prepared the murder plan at Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed's house, where they had gathered to attend Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal's leaders meeting.

According to the witnesses, Mr Sial and Mr Kazmi had presented the plan to Allama Sajid Naqvi and the latter had also told the other co-accused to remove the Maulana.

Mr Sial, however, told the court he had never participated in any MMA meeting nor he had gone to Qazi Hussain Ahmed's house. He said he had been implicated in a false case and that he was innocent. He told the court that he had also been implicated in 14 other such false cases registered against him in Jhang District.

He also prayed the court not to send him on physical remand as he was a diabetic and had also undergone a heart surgery. It may be recalled here that the court has also already fixed April 6 for framing charges against Allama Sajid Ali Naqvi.

The police have already furnished an incomplete challan in the case before the court. While the home department has also granted permission to the court to start the trial inside Adiala Jail due to security reasons.