Pakistan: Police arrest husband of ruling PTI Member of Punjab Assembly

Islamabad: The Islamabad police have arrested and taken judicial remand of Chaudhry Khurram - husband of Abida Raja, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) woman Member of the Punjab Assembly (MPA), for attacking and hurling threats on an additional district and sessions judge (ADSJ) last month during an altercation in the highly sensitive and secure area of Islamabad, the Red Zone. Raja was not travelling in the car at the time of the altercation.

The police have also arrested Bilal Abbasi, the co-accused in the case, who was earlier set free and was taken into custody only after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) warned that the negligence could cause problems for the senior police officers.

Abbasi was accompanying Khurram on September 14 when they had a heated argument with the ADSJ Jahangir Awan at a filling station and thrashed him for honking their vehicle while trying to overtake it.

The Secretariat Police on the application of the ADSJ though registered a case against Khurram but allowed Abbasi to go.

On the last date of hearing, October 15, the IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had warned that notices would be issued to senior police officials if Abbasi was not arrested.

On Wednesday, however, the police informed the court that Abbasi had been arrested. The court was also informed that Khurram was also arrested and sent on judicial remand.

Islamabad turning into lawless city

Justice Athar Minallah remarked that the incident took place last month (September 14) in the highly sensitive area but the police didn’t feel its responsibility to arrest the accused.

“The uniform you are wearing carries a lot of respect in public eyes, please don’t tarnish it,” said the judge. This court has time and again observed that Islamabad is turning into a lawless city and the powerful often go Scott Free while the police arrest only those who don’t have a strong backing.

The state counsel on the occasion informed the court that Abbasi was one of the two accused of thrashing the judge and police have already arrested the main accused, husband of the woman MPA to judicial remand.

The court later accepted the bail plea of Abbasi against a surety bond of Rs50,000 (Dh 1,133).

Meanwhile, the main accused Khurram was produced before another Additional District & Sessions Judge (ADSJ) and the court sent him to judicial remand. The Islamabad police had kept secret his arrest and appearance before the court.

Judge suspended for carrying gun

ADSJ Jahangir Awan is already suspended by the IHC after the incident was reported. The Registrar of the IHC suspended him for carrying a gun and firing at the accused.

In his application to police, judge Jahangir Awan had accused the PTI lady MPA’s husband of going violent with him at a filling station in front of the Foreign Office of Pakistan.

The ADSJ and Khurram after a heated argument opened fire at each other at the filling station.

Both of them were shifted to the Secretariat police station and in the beginning efforts were made to arrange a compromise between the two, however later the Islamabad High Court took notice of the incident and issued the judge’s suspension order.