An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday remanded former senator Faisal Raza Abidi into police custody for two days in a case pertaining to ‘insulting and threatening’ the chief justice of Pakistan, a private TV channel reported.
Judge Syed Kausar Abbas Zaidi of ATC-I heard the case filed a day earlier by the Secretariat Police. The ATC granted Abidi’s physical remand in the case that also includes Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).
Earlier in the day, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) rejected former senator’s petition to dismiss terror charges against him. While hearing the plea, Justice Moshin Akhtar Kayani remarked that the judiciary and chief justice were being threatened openly. “The attitude of threatening the judiciary is wrong,” he observed.
When asked whether his client was guilty of contempt, Abidi’s lawyer denied the charges. “My client only used harsh words, he did not commit contempt of court,” the lawyer said. The remarks were passed on a web channel, he said, and added that registering three FIRs of the same case was unlawful.
Justice Kayani clarified that Abidi will be sentenced in one case only. He also warned that the judiciary must not be criticised. On Wednesday, Abidi was arrested from the premises of the Supreme Court over ‘insulting and threatening’ the chief justice. He was shifted to the Secretariat Police Station following his arrest. The criminal case was registered against him the last month.
Published in Daily Times, September 12th 2018.
