A Pakistani court has remanded former foreign minister and senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi to 14 days of judicial custody for his alleged involvement in last year’s May 9 riots.
Qureshi appeared before the court on Thursday after completing a 19-day physical remand in connection with the violent protests that erupted across Pakistan on May 9, 2023. The court denied an extension of his physical remand and instead placed him under judicial remand for a fortnight.
Qureshi, who is already incarcerated on other charges, was interrogated at Adiala Jail during his previous physical remand period.
In a separate development, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) earlier acquitted former Prime Minister Imran Khan and Qureshi in the highly-publicized cypher case. IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb announced the verdict on petitions challenging their convictions in the case.
PTI
The PTI founder and party vice-chairman were sentenced to 10 years in prison in January this year over the cypher controversy. However, their release seems unlikely as Khan remains embroiled in the Toshakhana and Iddat cases, while Qureshi faces charges related to the May 9 riots.
The May 9 protests erupted after Khan’s arrest, with widespread violence and attacks on military installations across Pakistan, leading to numerous arrests, including that of several PTI leaders like Qureshi. The protest march, dubbed the ‘Azadi March’ by Khan, was aimed at forcing the puppet govt that had ousted him through a no-confidence vote in April 2022. As protestors entered Islamabad, clashes broke out, leading to property damage.
Khan, 71, has been jailed since August last year after convictions in some of the nearly 200 cases against him since his ouster. The cricket icon-turned-politician continues to face legal challenges from his opposition.