MUZAFFARGARH: Awami Raj Party Chairman and MNA Jamshed Dasti was produced in the city magistrate court on Thursday where he stands trial for a murder case and torture of doctors in Social Security Hospital. He has already been granted bail in both cases.

He will be produced in the Dera Ghazi Anti-Terrorism Court on Friday in his case of terrorism.

The presence of firebrand politician on the courts premises attracted a crowd there which chanted slogans in the favour of Dasti and against the PML-N government.

He told reporters that the ruling party had arrested him for his struggle for poor people. He said imprisonment would not deter him from voicing his opinion for the rights of the poor. He said though he was an MNA, the jail authorities brought him to courts from the jail in the prisoners van.

Police had arrested him last month for breaking the Dinga headworks and torturing irrigation officials.

Mr Dasti said the National Assembly speaker did not know about his case.

Also, the additional prosecutor of Punjab submitted an application to the Lahore High Court, Multan bench, challenging the orders of the anti-terrorism court for granting judicial remand to Dasti. The bench, headed by Justice Shahbaz Rizvi, rejected the plea and and upheld the order of the anti-terrorism court.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2017