KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court on Friday sent detained Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MPA Shah Nawaz Jadoon and a dozen party activists to jail on judicial remand in a terrorism case for allegedly staging protests against the siege and operation carried out to arrest their party chief Imran Khan in Lahore.

Police booked and arrested several leaders and workers of the opposition PTI for staging sit-ins across the port city against the teargas shelling and baton charge by the law enforcers outside Mr Khan’s Zaman Park residence earlier this week.

On Friday, the investigating officer produced detained MPA Jadoon and 12 activists before the ATCs administrative judge upon expiry of their physical remand in judicial custody and sought an extension in the same.

While declining the IO’s request for extension in physical custody of the suspects, the judge remanded them in judicial custody till March 29. The IO was told to produce them on the next date and also submit an investigation report against them.

Earlier the sessions’ and anti-terrorism courts had granted interim pre-arrest bail to the Opposition Leader in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh, MPA Saeed Afridi, party’s provincial vice-president Masroor Sial some 20 workers, who were booked for staging sit-ins at Banaras Chowk, Hasan Square and Shah Latif Town.

However, MPA Jadoon and others were booked in a case pertaining to a sit-in on the Native Jetty Bridge.

Police registered cases under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 324 (attempted murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 (acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at Peerabad, Docks, Shah Latif Town, Sachal and several other police stations on behalf of the state.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2023