LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Yasmin Rashid was sent to jail for a 14-day judicial remand by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Monday.The remand was in connection with a case related to the attack on Lahore’s Jinnah House during the May 9 vandalism incident.
Yasmin Rashid was apprehended by the Lahore police on May 17, despite a Lahore High Court (LHC) order to suspend the detention of PTI workers, including Rashid, under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).
During today’s court hearing, the police requested physical remand of the former Punjab minister. However, the court dismissed the plea and instead sent Rashid to prison for a 14-day judicial remand.
Earlier, on May 22, the court had granted a three-day physical remand for the PTI leader. Rashid stands accused of delivering a speech against institutions during the violent protests on May 9, which were triggered by the arrest of PTI party chief Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
Multiple cases against Yasmin Rashid were registered at Sarwar Road, Gulberg, and Shadman police stations, including charges related to terrorism and other serious offenses.
The nationwide protests that lasted nearly three days saw alleged attacks and vandalism by PTI supporters and workers on public and military installations, including Jinnah House and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.
In a separate development, the court also granted a two-day physical remand for PTI leader Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed.
Despite the mass departure of prominent party members following the May 9 riots, both Yasmin Rashid and Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed have expressed their commitment to remaining with the Imran Khan-led PTI party.
Prominent PTI leaders and lawmakers, such as Shireen Mazari, Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry, Mahmood Moulvi, Aftab Siddiqui, Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, and Ali Zaidi, have publicly condemned the attacks on state installations and announced their departure from the former ruling party since the May 9 vandalism incident.
(Islamabad51-Newsdesk)