Former senator Mushtaq Ahmad addressing a video message after he was denied entry into Azad Jammu and Kashmir. PHOTO: X/SCREENGRAB
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Monday remanded former senator Mushtaq Ahmad and a co-suspect, Daniyal, in police custody for three days in connection with a case registered over a protest related to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Duty Judge Rukhsanda Shaheen passed the order after police produced the two suspects before the court.
The prosecution sought a 30-day physical remand, arguing that the suspects were required for the recovery of a vehicle and weapons allegedly linked to the case.
After hearing the arguments, the court granted a three-day physical remand and handed both over to the police for further investigation.
Police have registered the case against Ahmad at Shalimar Police Station in Islamabad.
Last week, Ahmad’s team alleged he had been detained for more than 24 hours after being denied entry into AJK by security personnel, claiming his detention was linked to his support for the ongoing protests in the region.
During a press conference after his release from alleged detention, Ahmad announced a condolence, solidarity and peace gathering for AJK, inviting members of the public, student organisations, journalists and Kashmiris living in Islamabad to attend the event at F-10 Markaz.
According to an earlier statement issued on his X account, the former senator was travelling to AJK on Tuesday “carrying white flags to express solidarity with the innocent people of Kashmir who have lost loved ones due to violence by security forces”.
The statement said he was stopped at Azad Pattan Bridge and denied entry into AJK before recording a protest and beginning his return journey to Islamabad.
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It alleged that at around 7:07pm, Punjab Police intercepted his vehicle at Kahuta Bazaar, where “Punjab Police stopped him … and forcibly took him away in his vehicle”.
The clashes in AJK, which prompted Ahmad’s visit to the region, have drawn widespread condemnation from political parties and rights groups following reports of deaths and injuries during protests.
Last year in October, Ahmad was arrested by Israeli forces while aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla. Ahmad was leading the five-member Pakistani delegation as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla; however, he was later released.
