Court Rejects FIA’s Plea For Further Extension In MPA Chohan’s Physical Remand

(@fidahassanain)

Court rejects FIA’s plea for further extension in MPA Chohan’s physical remand

The PTI lawmaker who belongs to Jahangir Khan Tareen group has been sent to jail on judicial remand.

LAHORE: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-July 31st, 2021) A local court on Saturday turned down pea of Federal Investigation Agency seeking another extension in the physical remand of PTI MPA Nazir Chohan.

The court sent the PTI lawmaker to jail on judicial remand.

Nazir Chohan who belongs to Jahangir Khan Tarin group was arrested earlier this week in connection with a complaint registered by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar.

The FIA officials produced Chohan before Judicial Magistrate Yousaf Abdul Rehman and sought another extension of two days into his physical remand. The FIA counsel told the court that Chohan was “not cooperating”, pleading that the MPA's Facebook account was checked and videos were found, for which voice sampling needed to be done.

The counsel asked the court that data from Chohan's devices as well as his WhatsApp number was needed to be recovered. He said that the suspect had an iPhone and everything was in its iCloud.

“If nothing is done, it will benefit the suspect,” he pleaded.

The counsel said that the MPA was making lame excuses when he was asked for his phone.

Shafqat Chohan, the counsel of MPA Chohan, opposed FIA plea, saying that the MPA had never used an iPhone.

"[I] don't know where the FIA gets information from. When an iPhone has not been used, how will recovery be done?" he questioned. "If material was not shared on the internet, then there is no case."

The counsel alleged that the FIA was "playing with the system".

After hearing the arguments, the court rejected the investigation agency's application for extension in Chohan's physical remand. However, it remanded the MPA in judicial custody for two weeks, directing the FIA to submit a report regarding the investigation at the next date of hearing.

Chohan was arrested in Lahore by the FIA on Wednesday — his second arrest in as many days. A day earlier, he was taken in custody by Lahore police in a separate case filed by Akbar, although he was later released on bail the same day.

Shahzad Akbar, the PM’s aide, had lodged FIR against Chohan on July 8 under Sections 11 (hate speech) and 20 (offences against the dignity of a natural person) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 and read with Sections 298 (uttering words to wound religious feelings), 500 (punishment for defamation), 505(c) (intention to incite), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Section 29 of the Telegraph Act.

Fida Hussnain

Fida Hussnain is a lahore based journalist. He writes on politics, religion, social issues and climate change. He is also a research fellow at University of Gujrat.