PTI’s Raoof Hassan handed over to FIA on two-day physical remand

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Information Secretary Raoof Hassan and other party members were handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on a two-day physical remand.

Hassan and other suspects were produced before the Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah of the district and session court in Islamabad.

PTI senior lawyer Latif Khosa also appeared before the court as counsel of arrested party members.

Demanding the 10-day remand in an anti-state propaganda case, the FIA prosecutor said the agency wants physical remand to recover devices that were used to form fake social media accounts.

He added the probe body will expand the investigation if "it recovers those devices".

However, Khosa opposed the request for remand and said the party’s office had already been sealed, and the case regarding this was being proceeded in the High Court.

He quoted the Supreme Court’s larger bench order that said PTI was a political party and will remain a political party.

“The case against Raoof Hassan has been made on the identification of a suspect, and FIA already has devices and mobile phones of the arrested member,” Khosa added.

The PTI counsel requested the court to discharge arrested members, including Hassan, from the case.

While rejecting Khosa's appeal, the court granted a two-day physical remand of PTI stalwart and others. 

Two women suspected in the case were sent to the jail on judicial remand.

Raoof Hassan and others were arrested by the capital police yesterday from the PTI central secretariat in Islamabad.