LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Saturday denied Ghalib Market police the physical remand of 19 suspects and discharged two of them arrested from the Gulberg residence of former chief minister Parvez Elahi.

The police presented the suspects before the court and sought their physical remand for investigation of the attack on a team of the Gujranwala Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), which had raided the house of Parvez Elahi to make his arrest in a case.

The investigating officer told the court that the suspects hurled petrol bombs and stones at the ACE team and the police personnel.

Advocate Amir Saeed Rawn appeared on behalf of the suspects and opposed the physical remand.

He said the police arrested the suspects in a fabricated case. He asked the court to reject the police request and discharge all the arrested persons.

Presiding Judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttar denied the police physical remand of 17 suspects and sent them to jail on judicial remand.

The judge discharged two elderly suspects — Mubarak Shah and Nawaz — in the case and ordered their immediate release.

Later, the judge also issued notices to police on the post-arrest bail petitions filed by the 17 suspects.

He directed the investigation officer to produce the record of the case on May 2.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2023