LAHORE, June 24: A judicial magistrate in Cantonment courts on Friday gave custody of human trafficker Malik Bashir, his two sons and six others to the Civil Lines police on a four-day physical remand in a case of attempting to kill two journalists.

The investigation officer produced the accused handcuffed before Magistrate Masroor Anwar Khan and sought physical remand.

Advocate Burhan Moazam Malik, representing the accused, opposed this request and argued that the whole incident narrated in the FIR was concocted. He said his clients neither tortured journalists nor did they fire any bullet. He said Malik Bashir was a law-abiding citizen and never indulged in any criminal activity.

However, the arguments of Advocate Malik were defeated by a video which showed the accused torturing the journalists and opening fire on them with sophisticated weapons.

Advocate Muhammad Azhar Siddique (journalists' counsel) played the video of the incident with the court's permission. He said the incident was filmed by a cameraman of a local television channel.

The magistrate observed in the video three guns in the hands of the accused persons who fired six bullets on the journalists, though they missed their targets. After the video showing the counsel had nothing to say in defence.

Advocate Siddique alleged that the police had joined hands with the accused as they produced them before an anti-terrorism court and got provision of ATA removed from the FIR. He said the police were not cooperating with the complainant party.

The magistrate after hearing both sides remanded all the accused in police custody and sought their production on June 28.

Malik Bashir and others were arrested on Wednesday evening in their Davies Road house after the police received directions from the Punjab law minister to take action. He and his sons tortured journalists Asif Butt and Mian Dawood and his guards carrying weapons came out of his house and joined his sons.

One of Bashir's sons snatched gun from his guard and opened fire on the reporters and other journalists who came there to rescue their colleagues. A patrol police team observed the incident but reportedly stayed away.