LAHORE:
An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore on Thursday handed over Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s nephew, Shahrez Khan, to police for eight days physical remand in connection with a May 9 riots case, more than two years after his name surfaced in the investigation.
Shahrez was arrested on the evening of August 21 from his residence, According to PTI leaders, the arrest occurred late on Wednesday night when a group of unidentified individuals entered Aleema Khan’s home by force. Party officials claimed that household staff were assaulted, family members harassed, and Shahrez taken from his bedroom in front of his children.
Police later implicated him in the Jinnah House attack case through two supplementary statements filed on September 23, 2023. He was produced before ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gill, where police sought a 30-day physical remand for further investigation and recovery of material allegedly in his possession.
The defence, led by senior lawyer Salman Akram Raja, strongly contested the request, terming Shahrez’s arrest after 27 months “ridiculous”. Raja argued that the accused had no political involvement and was being “roped in without evidence”. He told the court that Shahrez had been in Chitral between May 6 and 13, 2023, and pointed out that Aleema—Shahrez’s mother—had already been discharged from the same case.
Raja further argued that “such an extensive delay in arresting someone reflects mala fide intent”.
Read More: Imran’s nephew ‘picked up’ in Lahore raid: PTI
During proceedings, the ATC judge inquired from the investigating officer about Shahrez’s alleged role.
The police acknowledged that the accused was not wanted in any other May 9-related case but the prosecution maintained that his name appeared in multiple records.
Defence lawyers maintained that Shahrez was an athlete and he was being unnecessarily implicated. This would “send a bad message internationally,” contended the lawyers.
The PTI insists that he had no involvement in political activities and was being targeted solely because of his family ties.
The party has accused the government of systematically targeting Imran’s relatives and supporters in an effort to further dismantle PTI’s political base.
