Terrorism case: ATC grants police 15-day remand of JUI-F’s Mufti Awais

ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Wednesday granted police a 15-day physical remand of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) Islamabad Ameer Mufti Awais Aziz in a case registered against him under terrorism charges.

Police produced Aziz—who was arrested on November 10—before ATC Judge Abul Hasanat Muhammad Zulqarnain for obtaining his physical remand in the case registered against him at Sangjani Police Station

Senator Kamran Murtaza, Aziz’s counsel, appeared before the court. Prosecutor Raja Naveed Hussain pleaded with the court to hand over the accused to the police on a 30-day physical remand to conduct further investigation.

He further argued that the accused instigated people to block the GT Road during a public meeting. The prosecutor added that the accused confined people to their homes and spread fears among the public.

Objecting to the prosecution’s request, defense lawyer Kamran Murtaza argued that terrorism charges were being invoked against patriotic citizens.

“We are loyal to the Constitution of Pakistan, and during the entire event, not a single straw was broken,” he said, adding that the police registered the First Information Report (FIR) three days after the incident.

The defense counsel argued that if the accused had incited people, where were those individuals? He further questioned where the statements were from the people who had allegedly been confined to their homes.

He questioned where the evidence was regarding the damage to the windows of a government vehicle. If the prosecution has evidence supporting the allegations leveled against the accused, then the court may grant a remand; otherwise, this amounts to a violation of human rights, he argued.

Murtaza further stated that a person who led prayers in a mosque and taught the Holy Quran had been labeled a terrorist.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court approved a 15-day physical remand of the accused.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026