January 30, 2007	Tuesday	Muharram 10, 1428

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

ISLAMABAD, Jan 29: Khalid Khawaja, a former official of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and Coordinator Defence of Human Rights Council (DHRC), was Monday brought to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) for medical check-up.

He was picked up by Aabpara police on Friday on the charge of inciting people against the government. A civil judge Saturday remanded him in police custody for three days to investigate the charge.

Mr Khawaja was stated to be suffering from some heart disease and was discharged from the hospital after undergoing an ECG test. The family members of the accused did not know as to his whereabouts on Friday.

Talking to reporters at the hospital, Mr Khawaja said that he was a victim of state terrorism, as he was booked under baseless charges. He urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to take a suo motu notice of his arrest on what he called baseless charges.

He complained that his family members were not being allowed to meet him in the lockup. He alleged that police had seized his medicines.

According to a senior security official, Mr Khawaja was taken in custody for playing a “negative” role as coordinator during the ulema-government indirect negotiations to resolve the issue of demolition of unauthorized mosques in Islamabad.

He was also vigorously pursuing the case of the missing people at different forums and was seen in all anti-government demonstrations held in Islamabad during the recent past.

The accused told reporters that if he was a criminal then why the local administration used him as coordinator to resolve their confrontation with ulema.