ISLAMABAD: A local court on Wednesday sent former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry on 14-day judicial remand in a case registered against him for taking bribe for providing a job and also threatening a citizen.

The police produced Fawad Chaudhry before the court after expiry of his physical remand. Judicial magistrate Yasir Mehmood then ordered that he be given in judicial custody.

Another case has also been registered against the former federal minister with Pind Dadan Khan police station of Jhelum district for allegedly stealing bags of fertilisers and furniture from a house in 2020.

The case was registered on the complaint of Chaudhry Nauman Asif, a resident of Mohallah Usmania, on Tuesday.

Mr Asif, who works as a farmer, alleged that the former minister along with armed men broke into the house of his elder brother, Shahid Asif, and stole six bags of DAP fertiliser, six bags of urea fertiliser and furniture, which included four cots, a table, chairs and a sofa set, on Nov 30, 2020.

He further alleged that Mr Chaudhry provided illegal possession of his brother’s house to a person named Jumma Khan Baloch and his men broke down the boundary wall of the house while leaving.

The complainant stated in the first information report (FIR), available with Dawn, that he could not be compensated as the accused was influential but his brother filed a case in the civil court to recover the possession of the house.

Mr Asif further alleged that on Nov 3, Fawad Chaudhry again came with armed men and threatened to kill him if he did not retract the case against him in court.

He said the former federal minister injured Raja Ahsan [who was present in the house] with the butt of his rifle while his accomplice snatched Rs10,000 cash from him during the scuffle.

The complainant alleged that Mr Chaudhry and his people had also gotten his elder brother, Zahir Asif, murdered in September 2020.

Pind Dadan Khan police then registered the case against Fawad Chaudhry under sections 392, 454, 448, 440, and 506 (ii) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2023