GUJRAT: The suspect who allegedly hurled a shoe at Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan’s cavalcade at Tanda on Tuesday, was sent to the district jail on judicial remand by a magistrate on Wednesday.

Police presented the suspect, Ahmed Sufyan, of Bareela Sharif, in the court of area magistrate Aftab Ahmad and sought his physical remand for further investigation, particularly to ascertain whether anybody else plotted the shoe-hurling episode.

However, the magistrate, ignoring the police request, ordered to send the suspect to jail on judicial remand.

The police had arrested the suspect after the PTI workers subjected him to severe physical torture for hurling a shoe at a vehicle in Mr Khan’s cavalcade that hit Ms Nadia Khatak, a social media activist of the party.

The suspect had told police that he earlier tried to climb onto the main stage at Tanda to hit Mr Khan but failed.

Police said the suspect had been a student of a local seminary run by Pir Afzal Qadri, a senior leader of Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). The suspect told the police that he was against Imran Khan because the PTI chief was allegedly against enforcing Nizam-i-Mustafa in the country and for allowing women to dance at his party rallies which was against Islamic norms.

Tanda police had booked the suspect under sections 335 and 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) as well as section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) on the report of Basheer Ahmed Gorsi, a PTI worker from Tanda. Police have so far been unable to trace and arrest the suspect who hurled a shoe at Mr Khan at Gujrat city’s GTS Chowk that hit PTI leader Aleem Khan standing next to the party chairman.

THREE SHOT DEAD: Three people of a family were gunned down by their rivals in village Dhori in the jurisdiction of the Sadar Sara-i-Alamgir police on Wednesday.

Police said three people riding a motorcycle shot at and killed Azam (65), his son Imran (20) and nephew Sharjeel (40) and fled. Police shifted the bodies to mortuary for autopsy as case had yet to be lodged.

Sharjeel and Imran were accused in a murder case of 2017. The case is said to be the motive behind the three killings.

Police are looking into the matter.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2018