Punjab police seek 7-day physical remand of anchorperson Imran Riaz after late-night arrest

The Punjab police on Wednesday sought the seven-day physical remand of anchorperson Imran Riaz, who was arrested at the Lahore airport last night.

As Riaz was leaving for Saudi Arabia for Haj on Tuesday night, he was arrested at the Allama Iqbal International Airport. Social media users shared the images of the arrest, which featured the journalist wearing an ihram.

The Nishtar Town police later brought him before Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Kamran Zafar. Riaz has been charged with abusing trust, according to the first information report (FIR), a copy of which is accessible through Dawn.com. It made reference to Pakistan Penal Code Section 406, which deals with punishment for criminal breach of trust.

The police requested a physical remand of Riaz for seven days during today’s session. According to the prosecutor, the complainant had given the anchorperson a loan of Rs0.25 billion, which he never gave back.

In the meantime, Mian Ashfaq, Riaz’s attorney, claimed that the case against his client was fraudulent. He argued, “The complainant was an agent at Maryam Nawaz’s polling station.”

The judge heard the arguments on both parties and then reserved judgment.

Petitions filed in LHC

The Lahore High Court (LHC) received a plea from Riaz’s attorney, Azhar Siddique, earlier in the day asking for information from the first information report (FIR) that led to the anchorperson’s arrest. It needs to be fixed before a bench so that it can be heard.

Riaz was about to leave Lahore for the Haj from Saudi Arabia when “many civil-dresses officers from various authorities came and arrested him without providing any details” and “took him to an undisclosed location,” according to the appeal, a copy of which is available through NewsVan.Net.

“No data has surfaced regarding which FIR was utilized to secure the Candidate just before 11.06.2024, consequently, it is the need of the day that the respondents be called by this court and they illuminate this court concerning which FIRs have now been enrolled, obviously, pointlessly, against the candidate because of which he was unlawfully and randomly captured,” it said.

It added that Riaz’s name was eliminated from the Leave Control Rundown on June 11.

The request implored that the appeal be acknowledged and the police, Government Examination Organization (FIA), inside secretary and the Counter Debasement Foundation be coordinated to put on record subtleties of the FIR under which the broadcaster was captured.

Independently, Riaz’s sibling documented one more request in the LHC requesting that the telecaster be quickly set free from “unlawful and ill-advised guardianship” and be delivered in court. It has been fixed for hearing before Equity Amjad Rafique.

The supplication, seen by Dawn.com, named the Punjab overseer general, Lahore capital city cop, Cantt administrator of police, FIA chief and digital wrongdoing wing chief as respondents for the situation.

It expressed that Riaz was “unlawfully and illicitly” halted from voyaging abroad and was being held under “unlawful and unlawful” detainment.

PTI condemns arrest, calls for immediate release

The PTI, meanwhile, demanded that Riaz be released from custody, calling his arrest “absolutely condemnable.”

In a post on X, the party stated, “[It] once again represents the complete destruction of moral values of Pakistan in the last two years.” It continued, “Have some sense, your actions hurt Pakistan only.”

The party lead by Imran Khan posed the question, “Is going to Haj now considered a crime in Pakistan?” in a different tweet.

Sher Afzal Marwat, the leader of the PTI, said he was speechless and vehemently objected to the detention.

Arrest and rearrest

Imran Riaz — a YouTuber and TV anchor — was captured two days after rough fights broke out the nation over following PTI Director Imran Khan’s capture on May 9.

He was last known to be taken to Cantt police headquarters after his capture and later to the Sialkot jail. On May 15, a regulation official had told the Lahore High Court that the broadcaster was let out of prison subsequent to taking an endeavor recorded as a hard copy. His whereabouts, be that as it may, stayed obscure.

In this manner, a first data report (FIR) of Riaz’s supposed snatching was enrolled with Sialkot Common Lines police on May 16 on the protest of the telecaster’s dad, Muhammad Riaz.

The FIR was enrolled against “unidentified people” and police authorities for supposedly capturing Riaz, conjuring Segment 365 (hijacking or kidnapping with aim covertly and illegitimately to keep individual) of the Pakistan Corrective Code.

The columnist’s dad had likewise documented a request in the LHC for his recuperation.

During a May 19 becoming aware of the case, the broadcaster’s dad had become heartbroken in the LHC, arguing for kindness, as the whereabouts of his child stayed obscure. The following day, the LHC boss equity had requested the police to recuperate and introduce the telecaster by May 22.

On that date, the LHC had coordinated the services of inside and protection to “release their sacred obligations to impact the recuperation” of the broadcaster after the Punjab controller general uncovered that there was no hint of the writer at any police division the nation over.

The LHC was hence educated that both the Between Administrations Knowledge and the Tactical Knowledge had said the telecaster was not in their guardianship. On May 26, the high court had coordinated “every one of the organizations” to cooperate to track down the broadcaster and produce him in the court by May 30.

At the point when that date showed up, the Punjab IG had let the LHC know that telephone numbers that had been followed back to Afghanistan were associated with the situation.

The telecaster’s legal advisor had battled in the June 6 hearing that their understanding was “wearing ragged” even as the Punjab government had informed the high court that endeavors to find the columnist were in progress.

During the July 5 hearing, the LHC had laid out a cutoff time of July 25 for the police to find the missing columnist. Be that as it may, no conference could be hung on the assigned date because of the seat’s inaccessibility.

In that specific hearing, resigned Brigadier Falak Naz, addressing the Service of Protection, had informed the court: “We are chipping away at following areas and different issues. We are attempting to recuperate Imran Riaz quickly.”

On September 6, the Punjab IG had let LHC know that the police would convey “uplifting news” in the following couple of days, following which he was conceded time till September 13.

Notwithstanding, neglecting to convey any major “uplifting news”, the IG on September 13 had guaranteed the court that the test was “heading down the correct path”.

On September 20, the LHC had given the Punjab police boss a “last an open door” to recuperate Riaz by September 26, dismissing the procedures in a request requesting his recuperation till then.

He was at last delivered on September 25, after over four months of “being missing”.

Recently, Riaz was captured in a unite case about the agreement of Dhrabi Lake in Chakwal and was subsequently conceded bail by an exceptional court. Be that as it may, the telecaster was rearrested for another situation relating to savagery outside PTI pioneer Imran Khan’s Zaman Park home.

On Walk 10, an enemy of psychological warfare court had allowed him post-capture bail against guarantee bonds worth Rs200,000.