LAHORE: An Anti-Terrorism Court in Lahore has granted a 21-day physical remand of PTI leader Hammad Azhar in the Jinnah House attack case.
The investigating officer had requested a 60-day physical remand from the court. The court had earlier approved a 20-day physical remand; however, because the final day of a 20-day term would have fallen on a Sunday, the period of physical remand was set at 21 days.
Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Sardar Muhammad Akram Khan heard the case.
The Jinnah House case arises from the events of 9 May 2023, when the residence of the Lahore Corps Commander on Sarwar Road — historically known as Jinnah House — was stormed and set alight during protests that followed the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court.
Jinnah House carries particular symbolic weight. The colonial-era bungalow was where Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah stayed during his visits to Lahore, and it was later allotted as the official residence of the Lahore corps commander. Its burning became the single most widely circulated image of that day.
Dozens of cases were registered across Punjab in the aftermath, many of them under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 in addition to provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code relating to rioting, arson, damage to property and attacks on state installations. A large number of PTI office-bearers, including former federal and provincial ministers, were named.
Hammad Azhar served as federal minister for finance and revenue briefly in 2021, and previously held the energy and the industries and production portfolios. He is the son of the late Mian Muhammad Azhar, a former Governor of Punjab and Mayor of Lahore. He was among the PTI leaders who remained out of custody for an extended period after May 2023.
Under Section 167 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a magistrate may ordinarily authorise detention in police custody for a maximum of 15 days. The Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 contains its own provision permitting an anti-terrorism court to grant physical remand for a longer period in scheduled offences — the basis on which a 21-day term, and the investigating officer’s request for 60 days, become legally arguable.
Superior court judgments have nonetheless emphasised that extended physical remand is not to be granted mechanically. The prosecution is expected to justify what specific recovery, identification or investigative step requires continued custody, and courts have repeatedly cautioned against remand being used as a substitute for investigation already capable of completion. The gap between the 60 days sought and the 21 days granted reflects that scrutiny.
The accused will be produced before the court again at the expiry of the remand period, when the investigating officer must either seek judicial remand or report the completion of the custodial phase of the investigation. Under Section 173 CrPC, the challan is required to be submitted to the court within the statutory period.
Mr Azhar has not been convicted of any offence and is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
The Lahore Times will report the defence position once it is placed on the record in open court.
Leave a Reply