An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad approved a five-day physical remand for 139 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers arrested during the party’s protest in the capital.

The court, presided over by Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra, also placed two female workers on judicial remand and extended the physical remand of 17 other workers for four additional days in a separate case.

Prosecutor Raja Naveed sought physical remand for all 141 detainees, including two women.

While the arrested women claimed they had been detained since November 24 without basic necessities, their defence argued they had no links to PTI.

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The court rejected the prosecution’s request for their physical remand, opting for judicial custody instead.

On the other hand, the 139 male workers were granted a five-day remand after the prosecution argued that anti-riot kits and sticks were recovered from them, with additional investigations pending.

Meanwhile, 17 workers arrested in another case had their remand extended, despite objections from defence lawyers who questioned the legitimacy of police recovery claims.

Eight others arrested in a separate case were sent to jail for an identity parade, with their next court appearance scheduled for December 10.

Source: Dawn