KARACHI: Freedom still remained a distant dream for Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Sindh president Haleem Adil Sheikh as courts on Friday granted him post-arrest bail in one case but remanded him in police custody in another.

The senior PTI leadership, including 11 former lawmakers, has been booked in around four cases of resorting to arson and violence during protests on May 9.

Mr Sheikh remained in hiding for three months to avoid their arrest in these cases until recently when he emerged on the scene.

He surfaced after obtaining a protective pre-arrest bail from the Peshawar High Court in three cases.

On Friday, the investigating officer produced him before Judicial Magistrate (South) Yasir Memon to seek his physical remand for interrogation in connection with a case of allegedly assaulting police officials to hinder them from arresting him on Aug 30.

The IO said a police party had tried to arrest him in a case regarding May 9 protests registered at the Mobina Town police station.

Mr Sheikh along with his 12-15 companions, including Fahad, Fida and Jaffer Bhutto, had assaulted policemen when they tried to arrest him, added the IO.

A case was registered at the Preedy police station and his custody was required, the IO said.

While opposing the IO’s request for remand, defence counsel Shujjat Ali Khan argued that all sections in the FIR were bailable and therefore he may be admitted to post-arrest bail.

Rejecting the remand request, the magistrate granted him bail after arrest against a surety of Rs20,000.

Mr Sheikh was directed to cooperate with the investigation.

However, another judicial magistrate granted his custody to the police for one day in a case pertaining to torturing DSP Jumma Din and setting ablaze his official mobile van on May 10.

The IO said DSP Din being complainant claimed that Haleem Adil along with retired captain Jameel Ahmed, Akram Cheema and 14 unknown PTI workers had physically tortured him, dragged him out of his official mobile van, which was also set ablaze, while his personal belongings were also snatched.

He said a case was registered under charges of rioting and terrorism.

The IO said in order to seek his remand he had to be produced before the administrative judge of the antiterrorism courts, but the latter was on leave today due to a public holiday. Therefore, the IO asked the magistrate to grant one-day transitory remand, so that he could be produced in court on Saturday.

The magistrate granted one-day transitory remand.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2023