RAWALPINDI, March 8: A judge on Saturday remanded a former state minister for minorities, Mushtaq Victor, in custody of the Federal Investigation Agency for seven days.

Mr Victor had been arrested in a case of human trafficking.

Special Judge Shaukat Ali Sajid, acceding to an FIA request, granted the physical remand and directed investigators to carry out a medical examination of the accused and submit the report on March 15.

The directive for medical check-up came after the counsel of Mushtaq Victor told the court that his client had not been feeling well.

The FIA took into custody the minister, an educationist by profession, on Friday night in a case registered under the Pakistan Penal Code’s section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) besides various sections of the immigration act.

Mr Victor faces charges of sending people to different countries in Europe by passing them off as relatives after taking big sums of money. He is accused of sending 21 men to Italy alone at the time of the pope’s ascension.