The administrative judge of an anti-terrorism court in Karachi on Wednesday remanded Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh and four others in police custody in cases related to violence, firing, attempt to murder and causing terror during the by-elections in the PS-88 constituency of Malir a day earlier.

Police claimed to have detained the PTI leader along with four of his supporters — Ramzan, Mehmood, Ghulam Mustafa Hafeez and Abdul Haseeb — and booked them for allegedly resorting to violence, aerial firing, attempt to murder, hindering public servants from discharging their duties and causing terror during voting at a polling station in the Memon Goth area on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the investigation officer, Inspector Nazar Muhammad Mangrio, produced Sheikh and other suspects before the ATC's administrative judge amid tight security to seek their physical remand for interrogation and investigation.

The special public prosecutor, Shahid Mehmood Arain, informed the court that the PTI leader and his supporters were taken into custody in connection with a first information report (FIR) registered against them at the Memon Goth police station.

He said that the custody of the detained suspects was required in order to interrogate them and arrest their alleged absconding accomplices — including Sumera Sheikh and around 40 to 50 other unidentified men.

He added that three repeater guns along with ammunition were seized from the detained suspects while a vehicle used by them in the offence was yet to be found.

Their criminal record was required to be checked and other legal formalities were also to be fulfilled, he told the judge.

Therefore, the prosecutor requested the judge to grant two-day physical remand of the PTI leader and other suspects.

The judge accepted the request and directed the IO to produce them on the next date along with an investigation report.

Briefly speaking to reporters on the occasion, Sheikh alleged that he had been implicated in the cases on the direction of Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, who he claimed was politically victimising him.

Two separate cases were lodged under Sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting armed with a deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 170 (impersonating a public servant), 171 (wearing garb or carrying token used by public servant with fraudulent intent), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 114 (abettor present when offence is committed), 324 (attempt to murder), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) and 337-H (ii) (punishment for hurt by rash or negligent act) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) read with Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Memon Goth and Gadap City police stations.

A day earlier, Taj Haider, the in-charge of the PPP's Central Election Cell, in a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that Sheikh could be seen roaming the constituency with armed persons and was harassing voters. He also attached videos and pictures of Sheikh's alleged misconduct. The ECP had subsequently ordered for him to be expelled from the area.

In a separate letter, Haider said Sheikh's guards "resorted to firing" at a polling station in Ghulam Hussain Jokhio Goth after the chief election commissioner's "prompt orders to evict the leader of the opposition from the constituency".

Two PPP workers were injured due to the firing, Haider added.