KARACHI: The administrative judge of the antiterrorism courts on Saturday remanded former Sindh governor and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s senior leader Imran Ismail and seven party workers in police custody in two cases pertaining to staging violent protests on Sharea Faisal on May 9.

Police had taken the former governor of Sindh in custody on May 18 from his Defence Housing Authority residence and booked him in a rioting case registered at the Tipu Sultan police station.

Other activists of PTI were rounded up from different parts of the city for their alleged involvement in a case registered at the Ferozabad police station.

The investigating officers (IOs) asked the court for the custody of the PTI leader and workers for further questioning. The administrative judge remanded them in police custody for two days and directed the IOs to produce them again on Monday along with progress reports.

Mr Ismail was brought to the court in an armoured personnel carrier.

Talking to the media, the former governor denied his involvement in the case and claimed that he was not present on Sharea Faisal on May 9.

Replying to a question, he said that he was not under any pressure to part ways with the PTI.

Detention at Shikarpur prison under MPO ordered

The Sindh government has also issued a notification, detaining Mr Ismail under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance for one month at Shikarpur jail.

It said the decision was taken on the basis of a letter written by the inspector general of police on May 19.

In the letter the IGP recommended that Mr Ismail may be detained under MPO as his presence at any public place is likely to pose grave threat to the public safety.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2023