KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Monday released a lawyer just hours after handing him over to police on two-day physical remand in an attempted murder case.

Advocate Mohammad Aslam and his ex-wife Hina Naz were arrested on Sunday for allegedly making an attempt on the life of a woman within the jurisdiction of Shahrah-i-Noor Jahan police station.

When sub-inspector Ijaz, the investigating officer, produced both the suspects before a judicial magistrate (Central), the court handed over the lawyer to police on two-day physical remand for questioning and sent the woman to prison on judicial remand.

However, a group of lawyers including some members of Karachi Bar Association’s managing committee approached the judge in-charge district and sessions court (Central) to get him released.

Advocate Mohammad Zahoor, a member of KBA managing committee, claimed that their colleague and the woman were falsely implicated in a politically motivated case.

He claimed that the magistrate handed over the lawyer (attempted murder suspect) to the police despite the fact that the IO had said there was no evidence against him. “Therefore, we approached the in-charge district and sessions judge and informed him about the situation,” he said.

Subsequently, he said, the magistrate recalled his order, ordered the release of the lawyer and also discharged him under Section 63 (discharge of person apprehended) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

However, a prosecutor said that the court had granted physical remand of the detained advocate but the lawyers allegedly misbehaved with the magistrate, took the suspect away and moved an application before the district court.

A case was registered on the complaint of a woman against the couple under Sections 324 (attempt to commit murder), 354 (criminally force woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 34 (common intention) of Pakistan Penal Code at the Shahrah-i-Noor Jahan police station.

Remand extended

Meanwhile, an accountability court on Monday extended physical remand of a former official of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (Fuuast) in a corruption case.

The National Accountability Bureau had arrested former director for planning and development at Fuuast, Naeem Akhtar, two weeks ago for allegedly misappropriating over Rs80 million funds by awarding illegal contracts. The NAB obtained his 10-day physical remand on Aug 9 for questioning.

After the end of remand, NAB officials produced the suspect before the administrative judge of accountability courts, Karachi, Sher Bano Karim, seeking extension in his custody.

The court granted extension while directing the IO to produce him along with a progress report on Aug 28.

According to the NAB, the detained suspect along with some other university officials in collusion with each other had allegedly awarded tenders to specific contractor by misusing their authority and in violation of Public Procurement Regulatory Autho­rity (PPRA) rules.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2017