LAHORE, Dec 26: An anti-terrorism court on Thursday disallowed extension of the remand of Dr Javed Ahmad Khwaja and Naveed Khwaja, who were arrested in Manawan a week ago on charges of supporting Al Qaeda.

The court directed the police to submit the chargesheet on Jan 2 and fixed Dec 28 for arguments on a bail application moved by the accused, who were sent to the Lahore Central Jail.

During Thursday’s in-camera proceedings, prosecutor Rana Bukhtiar sought a seven-day extension of the remand of the accused. He claimed that certain CDs and floppies along with passports of some foreign nationals had been recovered from the possession of the accused during the last two days of investigations.

Defence counsel Pervez Inayat Malik told newsmen that he had strongly denied the prosecutor’s claims. Following the alleged recovery of a gun and a pistol from the accused, there was nothing left to be recovered, the defence contended.

The defence counsel said he had argued that instead of seeking extension of the remand on weak grounds, the state should disclose explicitly that Dr Khwaja and his family members had been arrested on the demand of the US.

The police was harassing the family members of Dr Javed on charges that they were still sheltering 12 Arab nationals including two men and 10 women in their house, the counsel claimed, adding that he had raised the apprehension before the court that police might involve the rest of the family members in another case at the behest of FBI.

The counsel said he had alleged that the residence of Dr Khwaja was wearing the look of a police checkpost with heavy contingents of police deputed there and every visitor including Burqa-clad women being forced to disclose their identity.

He said he had asked the court to depute a bailiff and women police to get the house thoroughly searched and rid the family of the ongoing humiliation.

He claimed to have contradicted interior minister’s statement that both the accused had pleaded guilty to the charges of supporting Al-Qaeda.

The two counsels said the court had observed that some eight case files had been prepared by the police against the two accused and the charges appeared to have been thoroughly probed.

It was disclosed that the court had observed that there was no legal justification for further extension of the remand as the prosecution had finalised its case, which should be submitted in form of a chargesheet.

The defence counsel said he told the court that family members were not being allowed to meet the accused. He said the proceedings were adjourned for 10 minutes and the two accused allowed to see their family members within the courtroom.

Dr Javed Khwaja said in a brief chat with newsmen after the conclusion of proceedings that he and his other arrested family members were not afraid of the fake case against them.

He said the police could have interrogated them even without arresting them since they would never abscond. Dr Khwaja said the whole Muslim community was like a broiler that could not move freely even out of cage due to a lack of inner strength.