A district and sessions court in Islamabad rejected Sheikh Rasheed’s bail application in a case filed for accusations against former President Asif Zardari.
During the hearing, Rasheed’s lawyer ended up incriminating PTI Chairman Imran Khan when he said that whatever Rasheed said was originally claimed by Imran Khan.
“But Imran Khan was never arrested,” said the lawyer before the court.
Sheikh Rasheed was arrested after he failed to appear before Islamabad police over his claims that Asif Ali Zardari was hatching a conspiracy to assassinate Imran Khan.
His post-arrest bail plea was rejected by Additional Sessions Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra on Thursday.
Rasheed’s lawyer Sardar Abdul Razzaq argued that the clauses added in the FIR against him could only be filed by the government, while the case had in fact been filed at the request of a citizen, who is also an office holder in the Pakistan People’s Party.
The politician’s other lawyer argued and questioned why a case had been created and even an arrest made on the bases of ‘information’, when no actual crime had been committed. He added that Rasheed had simply said that there was a threat to Imran Khan’s life.
The prosecution opposed the bail saying that Rasheed’s statement was ‘inflammatory’ and it had pitted Imran Khan and Asif Zardari, leaders of two major political parties, against each other.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Rasheed was produced before a local court in Murree, a day after the Murree police won one-day transit remand and moved him to the city from Rawalpindi.
The court did not allow Murree police to more time to interrogate Rasheed and sent the former interior minister to jail on a three day judicial remand.
